To Steal the Heart of a Thief
by Sese Daniels
Summary: When a high profile thief is assigned a job to befriend a Ranger School student named Keith Dazzle and steal an invention's blueprint from him, she realizes too late that there's more to this job than meets the eye, and she's been deceived. Her actions end up allowing Team Dim Sun to rise to power in Almia, and she questions all that she stands for...and might even switch sides.
1. Chapter 1: The Job

**Hello everyone, it's Serena again! Well, it's only "again" if you've read one of my other books. If that isn't the case, then welcome to my evil lair of insanity and nonsense! All of my books are rated T (mostly just for language) ...but this book also has a LOT of violence in it as well as a use of strong language. You read the description, so I would expect that you know what you're getting yourself into! The description needs to be longer so I can add more detail, but I guess what I have up now will have to do... Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this book! I know you will, because it's my best work so far with an 80% original plot!**

**Just in case you didn't know, this is a gameverse fanfiction loosely based off of the game _Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia_.**

**Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't own Pokemon. If I did, then all of my Pokemon OTP's would be a reality and you would totally have the option to marry the cute guy characters in the game. *looks off into the distance thoughtfully* if only...**

**Claimer: I do, however, own my OC Rena, who is also the main character. Also, this whole book is 80% an original plot, so I own ALL changes to the plot.**

**Well, on that note...**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

**(Rena's POV)**

I slowly lowered myself from the ceiling. The only thing holding me up was a simple cord and a vest. My nose inched closer and closer to the statuette, and I stopped only inches above the pedestal. I was about to reach for it when I glanced up at one of the security cameras across the room. It's still on a time delay. If I'm right, they're all going to turn back on in precisely five minutes. Five minutes to steal the priceless statuette and get out of the museum. That should be plenty of time if I do this correctly, right? Right.

I reached for a small spray bottle on my belt and sprayed the clear liquid around the statuette. Sure enough, laser beams appeared around it. Just as I thought. I pulled a small piece of tin foil out of my pocket, bending it to form a tent-shape. I slowly inserted it into the laser beams, which then reflected off of the tin foil and went in the opposite direction. I just smirked. Here we go. Four minutes left.

I quickly grabbed the statuette and slipped it into my backpack, pulling out an exact replica. I put the fake statuette back on the pedestal, slowly removing the tin foil and putting it in my bag. There, it would appear as if it was never stolen. I retracted myself slowly and carefully back into the ventilation shaft, placing the grate back over the hole. I unhooked the cord and vest, placing all of my equipment back into my bag. I swung it over my shoulder, looking straight up.

The ventilation shaft went straight up from here, leading right to the museum's rooftop. I pulled my black gloves over my sleeves, adjusted the collar of my long-sleeved black shirt, tightened the black belt on my black pants, and tightened the laces on my black combat boots. I fixed my hair tie, securing my long, dark brown hair. I pulled the mask over my face, that way you could only see my crystal-blue eyes.

I cracked my knuckles, then began climbing. I removed the grate once I got to the top, carefully and quietly sliding it far enough to the left so that I could slip out. I placed the grate back onto the hole, smirking triumphantly. I stood on the rooftop of the museum, looking over the bright Lumoise City. It was dark, and Prism Tower (amongst other lights) were illuminating the city. Time to make my great escape. But as soon as I stepped onto the rooftop, the alarm went off.

Oh shit. Motion sensors?! OH COME ON! HOW WAS I EVEN SUPPOSED TO ANTICIPATE THAT?!

I directed my attention to the stairwell door on my right, and I could hear a bunch of guards running up the flights of stairs. "Hurry, men! The thief must be on the roof!" I heard a security guard shout, and a lot of stomping and shuffling soon followed.

Well fuck.

From the sounds of it, it sounds like six guards. Six guards?! Dammit...

The door swung open and outstepped seven guards. Ok, so maybe I was off by like one guard. Anyways, that's besides the point right now!

"There she is!" The leader shouted, pointing at me. "Wait...she? The thief is a she?" He raised an eyebrow, as did the other six guards.

I just groaned and facepalmed, and then we all froze as the spell was broken. I think we all just remembered the situation we were in. Right...I kind of need to escape now.

"GET HER!" They yelled, drawing their guns and charging at me.

My eyes widened, and I was quick to react. I quickly ran for the edge of the rooftop, not even hesitating to jump off. I heard a bunch of shouting coming from the guards as I fell from the building, quickly approaching the busy streets of Lumoise City. I slammed right onto the roof of a Taxi Cab.

Ouch. That's gonna hurt in the morning.

The Taxi Driver didn't even notice. I'm so lightweight that I didn't even dent the car. Impressive... That was a four story building. I rode on the roof of the Taxi until I approached an alley, and I jumped off and made a run for it. I knew the guards were on my tail. It was just a matter of where and when were they going to catch me.

I ran through the alleyways, making my way towards the Lumoise Station. Or at least I think I'm heading in that direction... It's so easy to get turned around in this circular city... Gosh I really wish my partner was here right now. Where is he?!

My thoughts were then interrupted by a wolf-like howl echoing through the air. Ah! He was alerting me of his location!

**Ring! Ring!**

What the...? My cell phone began to ring, and I continued to run as I picked it up. Police Sirens and wolf howls erupted through the air in the background. "Hello? Who is this?" I asked, noticing that the Caller-ID was blocked.

_"Hello there."_ Based on the voice, I could tell it was a man speaking. Mid-fourties, confident, cocky, and arrogant. His job probably provides a place of power and authority. Probably just another dirty Politician that wants me to steal secure government files. And yes, I got that from all of two simple words. _"Would this perhaps be Raux? Best thief in the world?"_ He asked, and I could practically feel his smirk from the other end of the line.

I dashed down another alley, following the sounds of the howls. "...yes. It is. Who gave you my number? Another client?" I questioned the man, starting to get suspicious and hyper paranoid.

_"Now calm down, Miss Raux."_ He laughed. _"I'm not some cop here to arrest you. Just a man wanting to offer you a job."_

I froze in place. A job? "A job?" I asked, curious now. "What kind of job?"

_"A job that would pay you one billion poke dollars if you succeed."_ He answered, and I felt him pause for my reaction.

I just smirked evilly to myself. "When do I start?" I asked into the phone. I had stopped running at this point.

**Click!**

"F-Fr-Freeze!" I felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into the back of my skull, and the person holding it sounded pretty shaken up.

I just mentally cursed myself and turned around, putting my hands up in the air. I still held onto my cell phone, though. I caught a glimpse at the guy in front of me, then laughed.

"Wha...what's so funny?!" He yelled, pressing the gun harder into my forehead.

"Let me guess..." I began my analysis. Profiling people is just a habit of mine. "Museum Guard, and this was your first week on the job. You've never fired a gun before, let alone handle one. And you're scared out of your mind, not having any idea whatsoever of what you're supposed to be doing." I guessed, and from the shocked look he wore I must've hit the nail on the head.

**WHAM!**

Someone came up from behind the guard, hitting him over the head with a trash can lid. The guard dropped to the floor, knocked unconscious. I looked up at the man before me, but I couldn't see his face. I could tell he was an average sized man, and he towered over me by approximately eleven inches. (I'm only 5'6) It would appear as if he was wearing a suit, but it was so dark that I couldn't really make out the details.

"How about now?" The silhouette of the man asked, and I saw him hang up a call on his phone.

I smirked, doing the same thing with my cell phone. "Sounds good to me. You've officially got my attention."

* * *

I was in a hotel room paid for courtesy of the mystery man. He gave me a change of clothes to change into, considering that my main base of operations isn't even in Kalos. Well, it's not exactly a great idea to be strutting around the cop-filled streets in my black jumpsuit, now, is it? He even encouraged me to order room service for myself. How nice. He's either very well off (like most of my 'clients') or is about to debrief me on a job that I might be unwilling to take. So basically he's trying to bribe me. How lovely. (Not really...) I changed into the white top and blue skirt. I took a shower earlier, getting that musty alley-smell off of me. I slipped into my blue flats and swung my black purse over my shoulder. The statuette was hidden within it inside of a secret pocket for safe keeping.

What client asked me to steal this, you ask? Oh, no one. It's just a Saturday night and I got bored.

...what? I get a rush of excitement when I steal something. You know that feeling you get when you beat a really hard level on a video game? It's exactly the same thing!

I stepped out of the room, making my way down the hallway. I stepped into the elevator and quickly closed the elevator door before anyone else could walk in. I clicked the button that would take me to the lobby, holding two things in my hand. One was a note card with an address written on it, and the other was my room key. The doors opened and I walked over to the receptionist, making sure to hang my head low and turn in my room key. She dismissed me without even looking at me, which left me to make my way to the hotel doors. I stepped out of Hotel Richissime, looking down at the card once again. It had the address of an old and abandoned office building written on it that was somewhere on North Boulevard. Oh perfect, it's right next door. That's convenient.

I walked down the sidewalk, noticing that it was still dark outside. Darker than before, actually. Hardly anyone was awake, making this a perfect time for the meeting to take place. I stepped inside of the Office Building, taking the elevator up to the third floor. Noticing that only one light was on, I made my way towards that particular office. There was the mystery man, sitting in an office chair back in a dark corner. The darkness covered his face, so I couldn't see him...but he could see me, and that's when I started to freak out.

"Relax, I already knew what you looked like before tonight." The mystery man reassured, ushering me to sit down at the table.

I shot him a skeptical look, super suspicious at this point. "How could you possibly know my identity...? No one knows that. Raux isn't even my real name."

The man just chuckled. "I've done my research, and I've been trying to find you for the past three years." He chuckled again at my dumbfounded face. "Car theft, art theif, weapons dealer...that's quite the track record, Rena."

I flinched tremendously at my name being spoken, and I was on my guard at this point. I had to swallow my fear of someone knowing my identity without letting it show on my face. "How do you know my identity?! No one knows that other than me..." I growled, furious that I was even exposed to one single person.

"Like I said, Miss Rena Deveraux." He over enunciated the last four letters of my last name on purpose. He must've put two and two together about where my code name came from. "I've been trying to track you down. I have my sources. Relax, your secret is safe with me. I honestly don't care about who you are or what I could do with that information. Now, will you please sit down so I can tell you about the job? All I've done is help you, you know." He huffed, seeming a little annoyed.

All of a sudden, a fearsome and vicious Mightyena jumped from his lap, bearing its teeth. It approached me slowly, and I just grinned like an idiot. "Hey, boy! There you are!" I enveloped the Pokemon in a hug, causing him to yip happily and lick my face.

"What a cute partnership." The mystery man noted. "I found him wandering the streets on my way here. I know that he's yours. Now, will you at least hear me out?" He slapped a file onto the table. It had the word "confidential" stamped in bloody red ink on the front.

I felt a little more trusting at this point, seeing how he took care of my partner and I. I nodded, and Mightyena and I took a seat at the table across from the mystery man.

The name is Rena Deveraux: seventeen years old. I'm a world renowned thief, but no one knows my identity. Well, except for this weird guy here. They only call me "Raux." I'm not sure who started calling me that, but someone leaked it to the press and the name just stuck. I've been a world class thief ever since I was eleven, but I've been stealing things since age nine. Most people think that Raux is a guy, explaining why the museum guards tonight didn't recognize me as Raux, but as an ordinary thief. Ordinary... Ugh. I hate that word. Mightyena has been with me from the beginning, and I've raised him since he was just a Poochyena. He's my partner in crime, I guess you could say. Hah, literally. Get it? Since we're criminals? ...I'll shut up now.

"Alright, so what's the job?" I asked, crossing my arms. "What am I stealing? Government documents? Art? Money? Artillery? Artifacts? Cars? An Airplane?" I counted off my fingers after each guess, remembering all of my previous clients. Yes, I really have stolen all of those things.

"No, it's much better than that." The mystery man laughed, crossing his arms. "I want you to steal a blueprint for top secret technology from a rich scientist." He smirked, pushing the file closer to me.

I just raised an eyebrow at this. "Motivation?" I asked, and the mystery man sighed deeply.

"It was my invention..." He trailed off, then got back on track. "I was a low ranking research scientist three years ago for a big company, and my boss stole it. He's the head of the science department. He got me fired and ruined my good name, and I want you to steal the blueprints back for me." He explained, and I could tell he was being sincere. Either that or he's one hell of an actor.

I raised an eyebrow once again. "Then why are you hiring me? Also, why go to such trouble to track me down? Besides being the best thief, I'm also the most expensive. I'm sure you could find some other thief that would be more worth your time." I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed, getting more curious now.

"Because..." The mystery man began. "There isn't another thief in this world that doubles as a Grifter. Most thieves just grab the object and go, but this job requires a little more...effort. Also, your age is just perfect for the job." He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "I need a Thief and a Grifter to pull off this job."

Oh, so that's it. I nodded my head, showing him that I understood.

A Grifter is basically a con-artist who cheats people out of their money or valued possesions. I get hired to steal from very powerful people and corporations. I'm an actress who offers these men their hearts desire, and then I completely destroy them and take all that they have. I manipulate people to get what I want, and I never fail. Ever.

"Wait...then who am I grifting?" I asked, confused about his plan of action.

He opened the file in front of me. It was filled with stacks of informational documents, and there was a picture paper-clipped to the stack of papers. "The scientist's son." He pointed to the picture of a red-haired boy.

"Hmm. He's kind of cute." I mused, looking at the picture. 'Keith Dazzle' was the name written in the margins of the photograph. "Alright, I'm in. So what do I do?"

The mystery man laughed, picking up a suitcase and placing it on the table. "I thought that you would never ask." He handed me the suitcase, a plane ticket, and a brochure.

I stared intensely at the items and began looking through the suitcase. A school uniform, boots, a toothbrush, and other miscellaneous supplies. "Alright, you crazy bastard. Where are you going with all of this?" I asked, earning an amused sigh from the man.

He grabbed the brochure from my hand, flipping it over so I could see the front. 'Ranger School of Almia' was written on the front. "You are to go to Ranger School, studying to become a Ranger. I've already paid for your commission and expenses. You'll use your real name, and I've called in a few favors so that you're put in the same class as him. And don't worry, they permit each student to bring a family Pokemon, so you can bring Mightyena. Get close to him, and make sure you become his best friend. Do whatever you want. You're the Grifter, not me. Get him to take you home for the summer break to his father's mansion. His father is a rich billionare, so he can afford maximum security. That's where you'll find the secure safe with the blueprints. Alright?" He asked, handing me the stuff and helping me pack my bag.

I lazily shrugged my shoulders. "Sounds easy enough." I smirked to myself, collecting my belongings. "When do I start?"

"Your plane leaves tonight."


	2. Chapter 2: The Start of it All

**(Rena's POV)**

I was sitting on the plane, reading over the files. Mightyena was in his Pokeball for now. I was doing research on the mark. "Mark" is basically another word for "the target." So, Keith Dazzle is the mark. He's eighteen years old, 6'2, has vibrant red eyes, is lightly tanned, and is well built. I've been reading up on his life, his personality, family, friends, and school grades. All of this information will help me make an impression on him. I need to catch his attention if I'm to be his new best friend, after all. So, let's start from the top of the list.

His life. Not very eventful, but there were a few things that stood out. His Mom died in a car crash when he was ten, just old enough to really remember her. His Dad is a total jerk and a workaholic, so the kid's been neglected pretty much his whole life. I bet this guy has a bunch of mental problems because of this, giving me some leverage to work with. He's lived your classic rich kid life...lucky bastard. I've had to work for everything I've got...

His personality. He's arrogant and conceited...totally full of himself. Not entirely self centered. He actually does care about his close friends, but that's it. He's a cocky jerk who picks on the weak, but isn't mean enough to be considered a bully. Reckless pervert...that stands out a lot. Prankster, mischievous, attention hog, adventurous, brave, cunning, daring, boastful... Huh, I think if I was put into a normal situation and had a somewhat normal life, I would've been friends with this guy. Our personalities go together pretty well. This will be easier than I thought. He's a compatible match for what you'd have to be like to be my friend...if I had any. But of course, he has his faults. He has quite the temper. Oh joy. I'm so looking forward to that (Not...). Oh would you look at that. He's a ladies man, too. How great. Well, I'm fairly attractive, I suppose this will make it rather easy to catch his eye...just not in the way I was originally thinking...

His family. Dead Mom...seems like she was the best parental influence in his family. Dad might be a rich billionaire genius, but he's a terrible father from what I can tell. No siblings. He's an only child. Hmm...I can work with this. I can relate to the only child thing.

His friends. Not many from what I can tell. He's a popular kid, so naturally he's got a bunch of fangirls, but not too many friends. Hmm...the fangirls may pose a problem. If he's not friends with those girls, I need to step up my game so he chooses me to join his friend list. From what I can tell, he's got only two close friends. A wannabe Operator named Rhythimi, and a boy genius named Isaac. Not too many friends, but a lot of wannabes that will be competition. This Rhythimi girl sounds easy enough to befriend, and Isaac is an intellectual like myself. Too easy.

His school grades. Not too great, actually. Slacks off a lot, turns things in late (...if at all...), sleeps in the Library practically every day... Wow. Talk about lazy. Hmm...I'm actually rather intelligent. This could pose tutoring opportunities in the future...I could definitely take advantage of that.

_"ATTENTION, PASSENGERS. ATTENTION, PASSENGERS. WE HAVE LANDED IN PUELTOWN'S AIR STRIP. PLEASE BEGIN EXITING THE AIRPLANE NOW."_

Huh?

I looked out my window, noticing that we did, in fact, land the plane.

Huh...I guess I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice.

I put the papers back into the file, stuffing it into my carry-on bag. I stood up from my seat, making my way off of the plane. I'm supposed to be looking for some teacher guy that came to pick me up...oh you've got to be kidding me.

There was a man dressed in a ridiculous maroon and gold suit with short blonde hair styled in a ridiculous manner. He reaked of hairspray, holding up a sign that read, "DEVERAUX." Well, found my guide. This ridiculous man is a teacher...? Oh joy.

I huffed, grabbing my suitcase. I blew my bangs out of my face, beginning to walk over to the teacher.

"Are you Rena Deveraux? The new student?" He asked me. The teacher practically radiated stupidity. He had a pompous air surrounding him.

"Yeah, that's me." I smirked, looking him up and down. "What's up with the ridiculous hair?" I laughed, mocking him. I read the name on his teachers badge, noticing his name was Mr. Kincaid.

Mr. Kincaid just glared, sneering at me. "What's up with your inferior intelligence?"

What.

He did not. Just. Say. That. To me. ME.

I glared at him with my harshest glare, completely infuriated. Inferior intelligence?! Why you little...oh it's so on.

* * *

Mr. Kincaid walked me through Pueltown, through the Vien Forest, across Vientown, over the bridge, and to the front of the Ranger School. Wow that was a long walk... And with a freakishly weird teacher who's obsessed with his hair. I think we pretty much fought and bickered the entire way there: all of twenty minutes. Worst twenty minutes of my life, if you ask me. He lectured on and on about why I should respect him and never run in the hallways. Hah... Now I'm going to do it on purpose just to piss him off. Plus, who honestly has the time to walk patiently in the halls? Yeah, I don't think so. I'll run if I want to. Want to stop me? You'll have to catch me first! I dare you.

"And this is where I take my leave of you." Mr. Kincaid said, opening the gate. "A student should be with you shortly to guide you to your entrance exam." He said, walking through the gate and just leaving me standing here.

Ugh... What an arrogant, condescending prick...

"Oh, hello there!" A blonde-haired girl waved, running down the steps and over to me. She had glittering grey eyes and bushy blonde hair, and I know she looks familiar... Where have I seen her? "Hi, you must be the new student! My name is Rhythimi Valentine!"

Rhythimi Valentine...oh! She's one of Keith's friends! I better make her one of mine.

Uh... I forgot. How do you make friends? I think you're supposed to be nice or something as preposterous as that.

"Hi, I'm Rena Deveraux." I smiled, returning the hand shake. "Excuse me, but uh... Could you help me with these?" I sheepishly asked, pointing to my bags.

"Oh! Of course!" Rhythimi sweatdropped. "Let me take that for you!" She took my carry-on bag, relieving my shoulder of the forty pound bag (it's up to you to decide whether that's an exaggeration or not)

"Thanks." I flashed a fake smile, getting a grip on the handle of my suitcase.

"Oof!" Rhythimi nearly dropped my bag. "What's in this thing? It's so heavy!" She laughed, showing me her somewhat playful nature.

A few pistols, a grappling hook, a vest, a few bungee cords, Keith's file, a stun gun, pain medication, a first aid kit, a set of throwing knives, six ace bandages, a Pokepuff case, a few blocks of C4, seven detonators, a case of liquid nitrogen, plastic explosives, a lighter, a lock picking kit, a safe cracking kit, my laptop, a bag of ninja stars, some rope, a camera, brass knuckles, a flamethrower, a hammer, a few motion sensor bombs, smoke bombs, stink bombs, an axe, my jumpsuit and boots, my favorite katana, my collapsible Bo Staff, and a few grenades of various types.

"Oh, just girl stuff!" I faked a laugh, brushing off Rhythimi.

"Oh, ok!" She laughed, not realizing that I was totally lying. We began walking towards the school, and I think Rhythimi was just itching to make conversation. "So...Rena!" She grinned, turning her head to look at me. "Ready for your entrance exam?" She asked, practically radiating friendliness.

There's an entrance exam...? Oh great. I'm supposed to learn to be a Ranger, and I have no idea how to be one. Or what a Ranger does, exactly... Nice going, boss. You couldn't even give me a basic run down of what a Pokemon Ranger does?! IT'S NOT LIKE I WOULD KNOW.

"As ready as I'll ever be..." I nervously answered her question, running a hand through my bangs.

I think Rhythimi picked up on my nervousness. "Hey." She stopped walking, placing her hand on my shoulder to stop me as well. "Don't worry about it, ok?" She smiled, relaxing me a little. "I'm going to be an Operator someday and I passed the exam with ease. You're actually training to be a Ranger, so you'll pass with flying colors. I'm sure of it!" Rhythimi reassured.

I caught myself giving her a genuine smile, and I quickly wiped it off of my face. "Uh...thanks."

"C'mon." She smiled, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "You're gonna do fine!" She led me inside of what looked like a Training Gym of some sort. "Now, hand me your bag, and I'll take your stuff up to our room." She smiled, taking my suitcase from me.

"Our room?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Rhythimi piped up, as cheerful as ever. "Starting now, for the rest of the school year, you're my new roommate!" She clapped her hands together, clearly excited.

"Oh...great..." I replied, completely in shock. Well...I didn't see that coming. Wait...Rhythimi is Keith's friend, so maybe... "That's great!" I faked a smile, causing her to be more excited. "Maybe you can introduce me to your friends later, and we can get further acquainted!" I suggested, having a different motive for meeting her friends. It's not like she'd pick up on that, though.

Rhythimi seemed all for the idea. "That sounds great! I can't wait! I'll see you later, Rena! I'll tour you around the school later, ok?" Rhythimi smiled, taking her leave of me.

I just now took a look around, noticing that I was, in fact, in a gymnasium of some sort. Most of the lights were off, but there was one light fixture on that dimly lit the room. I heard footsteps, and a shadowy figure began approaching me. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was wearing a baseball cap of some sort.

"Catch." The man said, throwing a strange device in my direction.

I caught it with no struggle, having extremely quick reactions. It was a strange green device that had a strap that goes around the wrist, and it had a few buttons and a small screen on the front. "What is this thing...?" I asked, just staring at the odd device.

"It's a School Styler..." The guy sweatdropped. "You know, the thing that allows you to capture Pokemon, become Ranger..." The guy trailed off. "You do want to be a Ranger, right?" He asked, glancing at his clipboard. "You are the new Ranger-student Rena, right...?"

I vigorously nodded my head. "Oh...right! Sorry, I'm just tired from the long plane ride here...ahah hah...hah..." I made up an excuse, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

Clearly, I'm off to a GREAT start. (Pfft...not really. I couldn't even think that with a straight face...).

"Ok then..." The guy sweatdropped again. "Your entrance exam is to capture this Pikachu with that Styler as fast as you can." He pointed to a small electric mouse Pokemon that suddenly scampered in front of me. It was getting ready for a fight.

I just gulped. HOW DO I EVEN USE THIS THING?!

I took a guess, slipping the Styler over my right wrist, since I'm right handed, and I quickly turned it on. A bunch of options popped up on the screen, and I'm not really sure what happened from there. There was the sound of a whistle blowing, and I released the capture disc from the Styler.

I somehow looped the capture line around the Pikachu at an impossible speed, and I felt like I was making a connection with the Pokemon. My heart raced, and I felt it throbbing insanely in my chest. I was feeling... I was feeling...what is this feeling? It's like excitement beyond words! I only feel something like this when I'm stealing something...wait...no! Rena, don't get too attached to this. You're a thief and a grifter, not a Ranger. You're only pretending to be one.

Bad guys don't get to be the good guys.

It was over within a second or two, and the Pikachu curled up next to my leg. He seemed perfectly content.

"That was quite impressive, young lady..." The man slowly emerged from the shadows, tilting his head up so that I could see his face under the brim of his hat. I found something about this man to be very suspicious, and I stood my ground, slightly tilting my chin up. "Congratulations... You've passed the Ranger School's entrance exam with flying colors... You're now the latest member of our army, the inscrutable team school. Together...we shall rule the world..." The teacher gave an evil laugh, and I saw that his teacher's badge read "Mr. Kaplan."

I raised an eyebrow at first, then just busted out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Kaplan shot me a confused look, and I just patted him on the shoulder. "Nice joke, Kaplan! You really had me going there for a second!"

Mr. Kaplan just beamed at me with boundless excitement. "Oh really?! You think so? Yay!" Kaplan cheered, enthusiastically punching the air. "Finally, someone who doesn't smack me for my insane jokes and conspiracy theories!" He cheered, showing the obvious and drastic personality change.

I just laughed, and another teacher walked in. She hit the light switch, illuminating the Gym in an instant. I winced from the brightness change, as did Kaplan. The woman walked up to us, shooting Kaplan a skeptical look. She had medium auburn hair and was wearing a green blouse, white pencil skirt, and red high heels.

"Kaplan...were you teasing my students again?" She glared, giving him that 'angry mom' look.

Kaplan was this close to cracking under pressure, nervously darting his eyes between this woman and the floor. "Uh, I..."

"Not at all!" I quickly interrupted, surprising the both of them that I was actually defending the male teacher. "We were just laughing at a hilarious joke he made." I patted him on the back, and Kaplan just decided to go with it.

"Yeah, Ms. April! That's all that we were doing, honest!" Kaplan sheepishly replied, and Ms. April's skeptical look softened.

"Oh all right..." She sighed, directing her attention over to me. "Hello there! I'm your classes teacher, Ms. April. Your classmates are anxious to meet you, so why don't you follow me to the classroom?" She smiled, leading me towards the door.

"You're gonna take my Gym class, right?" Kaplan shouted to me as we left, grinning brightly. It's clear I'm his new favorite student, and the feeling is mutual. He's a pretty cool teacher!

"Of course!" I shouted back, waving good-bye to him. "Gym is my favorite class! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I told the truth. For once.

"Enjoy your school life!" He smiled and waved, and Ms. April shut the door behind me.

I quickly got an idea, releasing Mightyena from his Pokeball while her back was turned. I jerked my head in the direction of the school, giving him the silent signal. He quickly ran away as Ms. April turned around, and she never even saw him.

Perfect.

"Ok. Let's go, then!" She smiled, directing my attention to the school.

It was a rather large building: two stories. From the looks of it, it has to have a basement somewhere. Ms. April led me inside, taking me over to a classroom door on our left. There was a lot of chatter and shouting coming from the other side. It sounded like everyone was goofing off to their heart's content.

"Wait right here, and wait for my signal. Then I'll introduce you!" Ms. April smiled, walking into the classroom. She shut the door behind her, and the class immediately fell quiet. "Class, I have an announcement to make! We have a new student joining our class today!"

...

"What? This late in the year? We're already two weeks into the school year!" Someone complained, and I pressed my ear against the door to listen for more.

"Is it a boy, or a girl? Which is it?"

"Are they smart? Cool? Cute? Popular? Look like a celebrity?"

"I bet it's another boy. Probably another Mechanic."

"Oh yeah? Well what if it's another girl Operator?"

"SILENCE!" Ms. April yelled, successfully shutting everyone up. "Why don't you just see for yourselves? Come on in!"

She must be signaling me now. Ok Rena, don't screw this up. First impression on the mark means everything. EVERYTHING. You blow this, and you blow the whole mission.

I reached for the doorknob, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The girls just stared at me wide-eyed, probably shocked at how pretty I am. Scared of the competition, girls? Good! Bite me.

The guys all whistled and followed me with their eyes the entire walk down the aisle, and I stopped at Ms. April's desk. I spun around on my heel with all my grace and beauty, making my long dark hair spin with me. It fell down to my lower back, and my crystal blue eyes locked themselves with a set of dazzling red ones.

There he was: Keith Dazzle. He sure was a lot cuter in person. He was staring at me, and I could tell that I had my hooks in him. He was clearly interested in me. Get the mark's attention? Check. Now it's phase two: personality display.

"Here she is, class!" Ms. April smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you introduce yourself..."

She was then cut off by the screeching noise of a chair skidding backwards. I looked up to see that Keith had shot straight up from his desk, staring at me with a wanting smirk.

Keith wore a large smirk that grew from ear to ear, only making my confidence grow. "Age?" He asked, staring straight into my blue eyes.

"Seventeen." I smirked back, crossing my arms and returning the stare. Everyone else in the classroom was at a loss for what was going on.

"Name?" He asked again, stepping out from his desk this time.

"Deveraux... Rena Deveraux." I held my smirk, my confidence only growing by the moment.

"Personality?" He asked yet another question, stepping closer and closer to me.

I just grinned. "Cunning, daring, thrill seeker, brave, adventurous, feisty, sassy, sarcastic, a ton of willpower, quick witted, athletic, competitive, confident, intelligent, and so much better than you." I sassed him, earning a loud, "BURN!" from the other classmates.

"Oh great, she's another Keith." Rhythimi groaned, slapping her forehead and sinking down into her chair.

Keith seemed to recover from my insult almost immediately, not showing any sign of weakness. "And lastly, future occupation?" He asked his final question.

We were face to face at this point, our lips only inches apart. I smirked, proud that I succeeded at this part of the job. "Ranger." I whispered in a hushed voice, my hot breath hitting his cheeks.

Keith grinned immensely, very excited about that. Ms. April was shooting us the weirdest look ever along with the other classmates, except for Rhythimi. She must've been expecting this.

**BOOM!**

**CRASH!**

**THUD!**

I stifled a laugh, knowing fully well what that loud noise was. Keith seemed intrigued, while everyone else was confused. I stood up on my tip toes, whispering into Keith's ear. "Did I also mention that I'm a prankster?"

"RENA DEVERAUX!" Mr. Kincaid's angry voice echoed throughout the school, making everyone jump out of their skin.

Keith smirked and went back to his desk. He leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head as he watched what was about to unfold. I stood in my confidence stance at the front of the room as Mr. Kincaid slammed the door open, storming in. He was clearly bruised and banged up. Did I mention very pissed off?

"YOU!" He shouted, pointing a finger at me. His face was red and I swear I saw steam shoot out of his ears. "YOU DID THIS TO ME, DIDN'T YOU?!"

"What are you accusing her of, Mr. Kincaid?!" Ms. April asked in disbelief, not able to believe that I would do something mischievous.

Oh how wrong she was.

I smirked as Mr. Kincaid got all up in my face, furious as hell. "You unscrewed all of the screws from my desk and chair, making them collapse as I sat down!" He layed out the accusation, and the class busted into an uproar of laughter.

I peeked around Mr. Kincaid's angry face, stealing a glance at Keith. Based from his amused facial expression, I can already tell that I'm so in. I turned my attention back to the angry teacher, putting on my innocent angel face. I held my hands together behind my back, and I began pacing around him in a circle.

"Mr. Kincaid... I am wounded, truly wounded that you could think so ill of me." I flashed him an angelic smile, making him even more furious. "I couldn't of done it. It's impossible."

"Oh do enlighten us, Miss Deveraux." Mr. Kincaid growled, crossing his arms as a vein bulged from his forehead.

I smirked, gaining the upper hand here. I continued my pacing in a circle, relaying the facts. "If what you say is true, and someone sabotaged your desk, I couldn't have done it. I have no motive nor opportunity." I smirked in Keith's direction, making sure he was listening. Oh he was alright, and was very intrigued. "After I got off of the airplane, you walked me all the way over here. Then, I was guided by Rhythimi to the Gym." I smiled in her direction, earning a grin and a hand wave from the perky blonde. "I took my entrance exam after that, then Ms. April took me straight here. So where and when could I have done it?" I asked him, shooting him a fake confused, puzzled, yet sympathetic look.

Mr. Kincaid froze. He clearly didn't think of that. "I...uh..."

I was quick to cut him off. "And besides..." I stopped my pacing, standing next to Keith's desk. I held my gaze with Mr. Kincaid. "I've known you all of twenty minutes. Don't you think that's a little soon to develop a grudge against you, sir?" I asked the rhetorical question. "It makes your accusation almost sound...ridiculous. Stupid. Outrageous, and utterly insane. Doesn't it?" I put emphasis on the two 't's' in those last two words, successfully enraging the teacher even more.

He thrashed about and yelled as Ms. April kicked him out, and the class all applauded me. Keith gave me a slight head nod, and I knew that I was in.

"Well..." Ms. April cleared her throat, regaining control over the room. "We better get you seated, Rena. You can have the seat next to Keith." She pointed at the empty desk next to Keith in the aisle, and I happily took my place.

Ms. April began a lecture of some sort, but I wasn't really listening. Keith wasn't either, from what I could tell. He smirked and leaned over to me, and I smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"So...how did you do it?" He asked, and a Buizel jumped up on his lap. That must be his family Pokemon.

The classroom door quietly opened just a crack, and Mightyena slipped in, undetected. He made his way over to me, taking a seat on the floor in between Keith and I. I smiled and petted him lovingly, feeding him a Pokepuff.

"They always forget to interrogate the partner." I smirked, looking back up at Keith.

He flashed me his charming grin, and I grinned back.

I'm in.

* * *

**So here is chapter 2! What did you guys think?**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3: This Should Be Interesting

**(Rena's POV)**

"Well?" Keith asked me again, seeming a little impatient. He wanted to know how long it took me to capture the Pikachu.

I just smirked arrogantly, putting on a show. "Three seconds flat." I bragged, radiating pride and pure joy.

Keith seemed a little shocked at first, then grinned. He seemed pleased with my answer. "Looks like I have some competition, rival." He challenged me, leaning in and nearly closing the distance between us.

"AHEM!" Rhythimi rudely cleared her throat, stepping in between us. "Keith, stop flirting with Rena! You've literally known her all of five minutes!" Rhythimi scolded, whacking him upside the head.

While I caught a glimpse of Rhythimi pummeling Keith for being a flirty pervert, I started to pay more attention to my surroundings. Keith, Rhythimi, and I were all in the center of a circle of classmates, who were very much enjoying the eccentric and violent display going on between the blonde and red-head. The file wasn't kidding about Keith being a flirty pervert... This should be interesting. And I have to flirt back...! Ew...

Keith's face contorted into a pained look from all of the hits he was taking. "Ok, ok! I'll tone it down a notch!" Keith grabbed Rhythimi's wrists, preventing her from punching him again.

Rhythimi jerked her wrists out of his strong grasp. "Humph! Fine! I'll hold you to that promise, idiot!" She huffed, then walked over to me. "Come on, Rena. I'll give you that tour now." She smiled, looping her arm around mine.

"I may as well come too, since I have nothing better to do." Keith scoffed, trying to come up with some excuse to stick close to me.

Hah, I've already got him wrapped around my finger. This is going to be the easiest one billion poke dollars earned yet. And once I get my payment, then maybe... I'll be able to keep that promise after all. With or without him.

"Urrgh, fine... But I wanted to spend some time with my new roommate!" Rhythimi whined, making her dramatic exit out of the classroom.

"You're Rhyth's new roommate?" Keith raised an eyebrow at me, and I nodded my head. Keith just scoffed. "Hah! Good luck, you'll need it..."

I just rolled my eyes. "You don't know me all that well yet, but believe me when I say this." I leaned in closer to his ear and whispered my next sentence. "I'm far more crazier than Rhythimi will ever be."

Keith laughed. "Somehow I don't doubt that." I punched him in the arm, and he mumbled something under his breath, but I heard it. "Well I'm certainly looking forward to seeing that crazy side of you."

I just smiled for a split second, walking out of the classroom with Keith following close behind. Huh...that was actually kind of sweet... No no! Don't let him charm you. He's the mark, and you're a thief. You're not permitted to think of him as anything else. That's like a universal rule.

All of a sudden, I felt someone roughly grab ahold of my arm. No words can describe how shocked I was to see Keith's face only mere inches away from mine as he pinned me up against the wall.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing." Keith traced his eyes from the floor and up to my face. He stared longingly into my crystal-blue eyes as if he was searching for something. "Try not to fall for me, ok? I know it's pretty hard for girls not to." His cocky smirk burned into the back of my eyes, brimming with overwhelming arrogance.

I just rolled my eyes and effortlessly shoved Keith off of me. "Oh, I think I can resist myself." My words were dripping with sarcasm like venom from a snakes mouth, and I quickly spun around on my heel and started walking after Rhythimi. My hair brushed against Keith's face as I strutted past him, and I could hear his amused laugh from behind me as I walked away.

Mightyena and Buizel trotted behind us, and I almost forgot about them for a second. The four of us walked down the hall until we spotted Rhythimi. She was standing in front of what looked like another classroom door, waving us over. We quickly caught up, and Mightyena rubbed up against my leg. I just rolled my eyes. What an attention hog... I listened to Rhythimi's speech as I crouched down and affectionately pet my partner.

"Welcome to Ranger School, Rena Deveraux! And now we shall begin Rhythimi's tour of wonder and excitement!" She cheered and clapped her hands together, spinning around in a circle. Keith and I just groaned, slapping our foreheads. "This is Mr. Kincaid's room." She pointed at the classroom door.

"Oh yes, we've met." I rolled my eyes, being sarcastic. Or is it ironic? Eh, who cares. I was being a smart ass either way.

They both just laughed, and Rhythimi brushed off my comment. We walked further down the hallway, approaching what I had assumed to be the Staff Room. Rhythimi opened the door, leading us inside. We entered what looked like a combination of a conference room and a teacher's lounge. Our principal, Principal Lamont, was at the far end of the room doing something on his laptop. Ms. April was off to the side grading papers.

"This is the Staff Room." Keith started to explain. "It's not exactly off limits, but we're not really supposed to come in here."

"Noted." I nodded my head, and we quickly exited the room.

We walked past a staircase that lead down a floor and up a floor. Rhythimi explained how we couldn't go downstairs into Mr. Kincaid's basement, for it was off limits. Keith bragged about how he always breaks the rules and takes girls down there, but something tells me he's just trying to be a show off. We kept walking straight ahead until Rhythimi froze in front of another door, stopping completely in her tracks.

"Rhythimi...? Are you ok?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow. What in the world is going on with her?

Keith, unlike me, was completely casual about it. "Oh, she's fine." Keith rolled his eyes. He grabbed Rhythimi's shoulder and kept walking. "She's just nervous about seeing her boyfriend who practically lives in the Library." Keith teased, dragging Rhythimi inside of the Library.

"KEITH! ISAAC IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Rhythimi shrieked, jerking around in attempt to get Keith to let go of her.

I just raised an eyebrow at the sight of these two. They're supposed to be friends...? That's...interesting...

All of a sudden, Keith stuck his arm out of the door from the inside of the Library and abruptly jerked me inside, earning a rather surprised "eep!" from me. I spotted a blonde-haired boy with a peculiar mushroom haircut in the back of the Library. We seemed to be heading over in his direction. Rhythimi appeared to be growing more pale by the second.

Hmm...I could use this to my advantage.

"Hey, Isaac!" Keith called out, immediately dropping Rhythimi to the floor. He jogged over to the mushroom-haired kid, and Isaac looked up just in time to see Keith carelessly let Rhythimi fall to the floor.

"OW!" Rhythimi cried out, rubbing her now sore back. "KEITH, YOU FREAKING IDIOT!" She shrieked, and Isaac winced at her deafening scream. Aren't we supposed to be quiet in libraries..!?

"Keith..." Isaac glared at Keith, only slightly ticked off. He just rolled his eyes and walked over to Rhythimi, helping her up. "Are you alright, Rhythimi?" He asked, and his face was slightly flushed from the moment her hand grabbed onto his.

Rhythimi was blushing an impossibly dark shade of red, and she awkwardly nodded her head to Isaac's question. "Yeah... I'm...fine." She stumbled over her words, and I couldn't help but smirk at her embarrassment. Scratch that, both of their embarrassment.

"Umm...hi there." I wore a sheepish grin, waving to the two blondes. I successfully broke the awkwardness between the two, and they seemed relieved at that.

Keith wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me into his side and obnoxiously ruffling my long dark brown hair. Wha-what the heck is this asshole doing?! "This is our new classmate, Rena. She just started today." Keith introduced me, refusing to release me from his headlock.

I kept protesting and tried to get out of his grip, but he was too strong. Isaac and Rhythimi stifled a laugh, and I continued to thrash about. Despite my complete and utter annoyance with the mark, I glanced over at Isaac. So this is Isaac: Keith's second friend. If I make friends with these two I should have no trouble befriending the mark, if I haven't already.

"Hi Rena, I'm Isaac." He smiled, waving to me. "I'd shake your hand, but you seem a little...preoccupied." Isaac joked, referring to Keith's grip on me.

I just rolled my eyes, then abruptly went 'boneless' as I like to call it. I basically just gave up the struggle and melted out of Keith's grip, resulting in everyone laughing at me being sprawled out on the floor. Mightyena and Buizel seemed amused, just watching this little encounter. I quickly sprang up from the floor like a ninja, dusting off my skirt. I flashed Keith a quick glare, then relaxed a little and turned to Isaac.

Isaac and I shook hands, and I plastered on a fake smile. "It's nice to meet you, Isaac. I'm Rena, Rena Deveraux."

"Deveraux?" Isaac's interest was piqued, more than a little intrigued. "That's an interesting name, and probably spelled a little out of the ordinary. I bet people mispronounce it quite often."

"Oh yes they do." I groaned, slapping my forehead. "I keep telling them that it's pronounced Dehv-errr-oh, but they still manage to mispronounce it anyways." I rolled my eyes.

"It sounds foreign..." Isaac pressed his index finger to his lips, musing out loud. "Where are you from?" Isaac inquired, wondering about my uncommon last name.

I tensed up a little, then quickly covered it up. "Oh, you know. Here, there, everywhere." I brushed off his question and completely avoided it, making everyone a little suspicious. What? It's not like I was going to just tell him up front that I'm from Castelia City in Unova. Better to nip this conversation topic in the bud before he asks too many questions.

"Ok then..." Rhythimi sweatdropped, then quickly recovered from my obvious dodging of the question. "Well, we should probably finish the tour outside now, then!" Rhythimi suggested, grabbing the guys and I by our arms.

She dragged us all the way outside, and that's when pure and utter chaos unfolded. When we stepped outside of the school building, the first thing I noticed was an unfamiliar woman standing in the middle of the campus, trying to avoid several Bidoof that were rampaging. The Pokemon seemed unusually agitated, making me think that something out of the ordinary must've happened to make them act like this. How odd... If someone didn't do something about this quick, somebody might get hurt...

"AH! Someone, please! HELP ME!" The lady screamed, running away from the agitated Bidoof.

"Guys! Go help Janice!" Rhythimi panicked, and Isaac seemed just as worried. The perky blonde quickly turned to Keith and I, staring into our eyes intensely with a look of desperation and worry. "Rena, Keith! Go capture those Bidoof!" Rhythimi yelled, trying to convince us to go help.

I felt a little tense and anxious. Help? Me? Capture the Pokemon? But I...I've only captured one Pokemon before! This can't end well...

"Rhythimi, I don't know if I..." I tried to back out of her request, but my plea was cut off by the stupid red-head interrupting me.

"Well, I can't just help. That would be boring!" Keith scoffed, arrogantly flipping his spiky red hair. He completely ignored Rhythimi's agitated facial expression and turned to face me. "Hey, Rena? What do you say to a Bidoof capture challenge? You and me, right here and right now." Keith smirked, challenging me.

I quickly wiped away my nervousness. If I want this guy to like me and be my friend, I need to go back to my strong and confident personality. Even if I have to fake my confidence and throw myself into a field that I'm not familiar with... Ahah... Hah... Hah... Dear Arceus help me.

I readied my Styler, smirking arrogantly and faking one hundred percent of my confidence. "You're on, Prince Charming." I laughed, getting ready for the capture contest.

Keith just laughed at the new nickname. "Is that supposed to be my new nickname courtesy of you?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Only if you want it to be, Prince Charming." I teased with a flirty smirk, dashing off and making my way towards the Bidoof. "READYSETGO!"

"HEY! YOU GOT A HEAD START!" Keith laughed-yelled, chasing after some Bidoof near me.

Rhythimi and Isaac laughed, standing back on the sidelines. I saw Rhythimi shake her head and whisper something to Isaac. It must've been something funny, since it caused him to laugh. Oh whatever. It's probably nothing.

I had already captured one Bidoof at this point, and I noticed Keith had two. Shoot... I'm already behind. I spotted a group of three, and I didn't waste any time going after them. My ears were filled with laughter and Rhythimi's cheering, boosting my confidence. I swiftly captured the three Bidoof and spotted only one left. Keith saw it at the same time, and we both dashed for it. Fortunately for me, I run faster.

Thank you Castelia City Police, you guys really helped train me on evasive manuevers and running like hell~!

I stifled a laugh at the memory, quickly capturing my fifth Bidoof. I didn't see any more Bidoof running about, so I headed towards the center of the School Yard. Keith met me there and wore a completely stunned look as soon as he noticed the number of Bidoof we had captured.

I had five, and he had four. Hah! Take that, moron!

"RENA IS THE WINNER!" Rhythimi announced, comically grabbing my arm and holding it up in the air. Isaac and I laughed while Rhythimi comforted the moping Keith.

Rhythimi glared at Keith, as if she was telling him to do something without even having to say it. "Oh fine..." Keith grumbled, giving in to her stare. He then turned to me, crossing his arms. "Rena, I'd rate your captures 65 out of 100."

I just smirked, scoffing ever so slightly. "If my captures suck and I beat you, then how skilled does that make you?" I retorted with pure sass and confidence.

Keith dropped his jaw, and both the blondes busted out laughing. Rhythimi walked over to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. She stifled her laughter, managing to somewhat regain her composure. "Come on, guys. I need to show Rena one more place."

"Ascension Square?" Both Isaac and Keith asked in unison, causing Rhythimi and I to giggle at their synchronized response.

"Yep!" She laughed, then began dragging us over to the east side of the School Yard.

We walked down a large flight of stairs, entering a grassy area of some sort. The grass was short and a vibrant green, freshly cut. The square was lined with tall shady trees, perfect for climbing or taking refuge in their shade. A giant pledge stone rested next to the staircase, seemingly at the front of Acension Square. There was a small wooden pier that overlooked the ocean, and it was a truly beautiful sight.

"Wow..." I gasped in a hushed tone, looking over the beauty of this place.

Buizel jumped up on Keith's head, ticking him off a little. He just brushed it off and spoke up anyways. "Welcome to Ranger School, Rena." Keith smiled down at me, and I can't help but admit his cute smile was contagious.

I looked down at Mightyena, and he was looking up at me with a smirk. We were so in, and we knew it. Day one is complete.

Mission clear.

* * *

**Wow, the first day of school was so long but I had to break it up into two whole chapters O-o... Alright, so let me give you guys the rundown with the story. I won't be updating it regularly; I'm just going to post it chapter by chapter whenever I stop working on my other 3000 books and write another chapter for this one XD Sound cool? Awesome! **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4: Night at the Ranger School

**(Rena's POV)**

"Rena...wake up!"

"I am awake, dipshit."

"AGGGHHHHH!"

**SLAM!**

**CRASH!**

I just sweatdropped, looking down at Rhythimi's crippled body on the floor. I rolled my eyes and pulled my covers off of me, standing up on the floor. I yanked the blonde up to her feet, and I could tell that her heart was still racing.

"Gosh, Rena...don't scare me like that!" Rhythimi whimpered, running a hand through her puffy hair. She stuck her bottom lip out to pout ever so slightly.

I just shot her a weird look, completely unamused and not bothered by this girl at all. "I didn't even do anything... You came down from your bunk to wake me up and I just so happened to already be awake. It's not my fault you're so goddamn jumpy." I huffed, crossing my arms.

Mightyena opened one eye just to look at us. Our bickering must've woken him up. He stood up from the foot of my bed and stretched a little, then hopped down onto the floor next to me.

"And your red-eyed wolf doesn't exactly help..." Rhythimi took a few hesitant steps backwards, pointing to Mightyena.

He just glared at her, a little annoyed at being referred to as a wolf.

"What, Mightyena?" I was highly doubtful that she could find Mightyena even the slightest bit repulsive. "Aww, but he's such a cutie! Aren't you, sweetie?" I cooed, hugging Mightyena and adoring him to death. He was happy with the attention, wagging his tail like a puppy with his tongue sticking out.

Rhythimi just raised an eyebrow at our peculiar behavior. "I will never understand how you get him to do that... Mightyena are severely aggressive Pokemon." She shot Mightyena a weird look, and he stopped acting like a puppy and stood strong. "And it's not like he's a typical girls Pokemon... Most of the girls here have Skittys, Cherubis, Budews, and then there's my Eevee." Rhythimi pointed up at her Eevee sleeping on her top bunk.

My face twisted into the most confused expression I could possibly muster. "In the short amount of time that you've known me, Rhythimi, have you ever noticed me do anything girly or do any typical things that girls do?"

Rhythimi mulled it over for a moment, then sighed. "No...you're right. And not to mention that you're kinda like Keith in a girl's body." She bobbed her head to the side once, mentally shrugging her shoulders and agreeing with her statement.

Should I take offense to that or just drop it...? Oh, whatever...it's not like it matters.

"Wait a sec..." I started to say, hesitating for a moment as my suspicion picked up. "Rhythimi, why were you waking me up at..." I glanced at the clock and groaned. "...three in the morning?" I scratched the back of my head, not tired in the least.

"I'll explain that in a minute..." Rhythimi held up a finger to my face, glaring at me with a motherly look. "What the heck were you doing up at three in the morning, anyways?" She inquired, crossing her arms.

Oh great, she's mom-ing me again. I tuned back into my surroundings and shrugged my shoulders at Rhythimi lazily. "I'm sort of nocturnal. I only sleep four to six hours a night." I pointed out the fact, then began stretching my arms.

Rhythimi dropped her jaw. "How do you survive on so little sleep...?!"

I just shrugged again. "Dunno. I'm just used to it and don't require as much sleep as the average teenage girl needs, I guess." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, unsure of how to respond. The truth is, I really don't know the answer to that.

Rhythimi shook her head, snapping out of it. "Oh, Rena! You should probably get dressed." She suggested, starting to push me towards our shared closet.

I just raised an eyebrow and looked down at what I was wearing. Black yoga pants and a navy blue tank top. "What's wrong with this?" I asked, curious as to why she wanted me to get dressed so early in the morning.

"Just get dressed, ok?" She rolled her eyes, shoving me into the closet.

I dangerously emerged from the closet and glared at Rhythimi, more than just a little annoyed. "No thanks." I softened my glare, then let out a heavy sigh. "I'm comfortable in the clothes I'm wearing, thank you very much."

Rhythimi just slapped her forehead and groaned. "Fine...at least put on shoes." She insisted, and I gave in to that request.

I slipped into a pair of black flat shoes, and the three of us (counting Mightyena) exited the dorm room. Rhythimi's Eevee still remained asleep in her bed. He's always sleeping, according to Rhythimi. Anyways, we rounded the corner and walked down the hallway to our right until we reached the Commons Area, and I immediately noticed a few things.

One: practically everyone was out of their dorm rooms and hanging out in here. And I mean everyone.

Two: there was a ginger-haired girl that had a bob-length haircut giving me a harsh glare. What's her problem? She had a Purrloin sitting in her lap, who was also glaring at me ferociously. Oh-kay then... May I ask why?

Three: Keith was pacing back and forth, and he nearly tripped over absolutely nothing but air when he saw us coming. Buizel was napping on the chair next to him. Huh, kind of like his master. He's extraordinarily lazy.

"It's about time!" Keith whisper-yelled, very annoyed. "You kept us waiting, Rhyth!" Keith was a little ticked off, crossing his toned arms tightly.

"Well soooorry!" She sassed him back, and I could tell an argument was about to break out. "It's not my fault that your new girlfriend is so freaking dang stubborn!" Rhythimi stared at Keith with an all-knowing grin at that last part.

New girlfriend?

What.

No. Just no.

"ACK!" Keith started to choke on air, offended by her little sidebar comment. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Good. No reason for you to date that tramp." The ginger girl bitterly spat out her insult directly at me, very snarky like. A vein bulged from my forehead at that comment.

My eye just twitched, and I felt myself beginning to lose my unpredictable temper. "Why you little bitch..." I was fuming mad as I charged for her, getting ready to stab her. Keith quickly intercepted my attack and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. He held me there until I stopped thrashing.

Everyone just sweatdropped at my outburst, and no one was about to speak up to the spoiled brat who talked down to me so cruel just a moment before.

"Are you done...?" Rhythimi sweatdropped again, looking me over with a worried look.

I took in a deep breath, then plastered a fake smile across my lips. "I am calm, perfectly calm." I smiled like an innocent little angel, totally bullshitting everything I just said.

Everyone breathed out heavily, very relieved. But of course I was lying. When am I not? I charged at her again (this time, my intention was to strangle her) but of course Keith intercepted it again, but this time he scooped me up and carelessly threw me over his shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN!" I whisper-yelled, thrashing about as I commanded him to unhand me. I was trying to throw punches and having little to no success. I could practically see Mightyena smile and laugh at this. He's used to me being so professional, not... Well, a teenager.

"How about...no." Keith chuckled, and even though I couldn't see his face I knew he was smirking.

I huffed and gave up the fight, relaxing a little. I remained slumped over his shoulder with his arm around my back. "You're only holding me in this position so you can get a good look at my ass, aren't you?" I huffed, crossing my arms while upside down in this very uncomfortable and inconvenient position.

"Well, I have to admit...this does have its perks." Keith laughed, and I had enough at this point. Everyone in the room laughed except for the ginger girl. She seemed even more pissed off and red in the face than before.

Great. It seems like we have a jealous bitch on our hands. I'll have to make a note to report into the boss about her later if she poses a threat. Then again, it's not like I can't handle her myself. But...one of the conditions I was given when I accepted this job was to call the number the boss gave me and report in frequently. At least once a week, even if I had nothing out of the ordinary to report. I seriously hate this. It's not like it's a big deal or anything, but I just hate working with others (with the exception of Mightyena). I just prefer to do my work solo.

Suddenly, a voice that's origin came from the bottom floor of the school echoed through the quiet, empty hallways. "What was that, Mr. Kincaid? Voices?" I heard Ms. April ask. The sound of her high-heels were clicking in the dead hallways. From the sound of it, she was getting closer.

"Yes, I think there are students out past curfew. They must be upstairs." Mr. Kincaid's voice followed soon after, and the sound of hasty footsteps on the stairs came next.

"EVERYONE, HIDE! QUICK!" One of the students whisper-shouted.

And this is what triggered the chaos.

Students ran everywhere and ducked for cover. Under the couches, behind plants, concealed by curtains...everywhere. The Pokemon (Buizel, Mightyena, Purrloin, and a few other students' Pokemon) quickly jumped into an air vent, putting the grate back once they were all in. I was spinning around in circles looking for a hiding spot, but they were all taken. I ran for a potted plant, but that stupid ginger girl stuck her foot out and tripped me.

**SLAM!**

Ow...

"What was that thud?! Ok, there is seriously something going on upstairs." Ms. April's agitated voice echoed once again throughout the halls, and I could tell they began running the rest of the way up the stairs.

I saw an oppertunity to hide in plain sight, but it was a long shot. Oh well...it's all I have right now. My only option. It's that spot or nothing at all. I quickly took my position. Just in time, too. I saw Ms. April and Mr. Kincaid walk up to the second floor holding flashlights, and they began scanning the room. Their flashlights landed on a tipped over potted plant, and the dirt spilled out a little. Keith's Buizel was standing next to it, completely covered in dirt. Huh... It looks like Prince Charming covered for me. I'll have to thank him for that later.

Ms. April let out a loud sigh. "Oh, it was just one of the Pokemon." She walked over to Buizel and quickly cleaned up the mess, standing the potted plant back up. "Go back to your master's room, mister." Ms. April said to Buizel, pointing her finger in the direction of Keith and Isaac's dorm room.

Mr. Kincaid stormed off downstairs, grumbling incoherent things to himself. That rancid smell of his overused hairspray still lingered, unfortunately. Ms. April followed him downstairs, and they both left. All of the students sighed in relief and came out of their hiding spots and inhaled sharply in shock when they saw where I was.

I wrapped my legs around the light fixture attached to the ceiling and let my upper body dangle towards the ground. I reached my arms out for the coffee table and lowered the rest of my body from the ceiling in a cartwheel-like motion. I made a graceful and silent landing on the floor, and everyone's jaws were on the floor.

I just looked at them all with a weird expression, as if what I just did wasn't completely socially unacceptable at all. Well, it's not like I'd even know the first thing about interacting with normal teenagers, anyways... "Whaaaat?" I shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with what I did. "There were no more hiding spots, so I sat on top of the light fixture..." I sweatdropped, admiting that last part sheepishly.

Everyone seemed highly impressed (except for the ginger girl, of course) and I got a round of quiet applause.

"Well, let's get back to what we were originally doing!" Rhythimi clapped her hands together, gaining everyone's attention. "Let the initiation ceremony unfold!"

"Initiation ceremony?" My eyes darted towards the blonde without hesitation. "What...?" I sighed with heavy disappointment, completely lost here and not really wanting to do whatever it is they were about to ask me to do. I'm so not in the mood with putting up with these inferior imbeciles and their utter nonsense at present. It's too early in the morning for me to pretend like I'm a normal human being with normal thoughts and feelings and that I actually give a damn about these people.

"It's just a test of courage." Keith rolled his eyes, picking up on my reluctance immediately. "Scared, Blue Eyes?" Keith flashed a conceited smirk in my general direction, clearly taunting me.

I just crossed my arms and smirked back at the idiot. "Is that supposed to be my new nickname courtesy of you?" I asked, curious for what his answer entailed.

Keith wore a large grin from ear to ear, and he didn't waste any time in getting all up in my face. I'm starting to notice a trend here. He must do this to girls often. "Only if you want it to be, Blue Eyes." Keith laughed, relaying my exact words from earlier back to my face.

I just groaned and rolled my eyes, motivated to change the subject suddenly. "Alright, Rhythimi. Proceed with the rules." I gave the order and waved her off, basically agreeing to this 'test of courage.'

"Ok, the rules are simple!" She smiled brightly, placing her hands on her hips. "Four of us have hidden our School Stylers in the following rooms: the Staff Room, the Library, Ms. April's classroom, and Mr. Kincaid's classroom. All you have to do is find all four Stylers, then plunk them down at the basement door!" Rhythimi explained, seeming very excited for this challenge.

That's it. Seriously...? They could've put a lot more thought into this, I admit. If I was in charge, well-never mind. I'll keep that thought to myself.

"That's it?" I scoffed, turning my nose up at the inferior 'challenge.' This is gonna be too easy. I'm a thief, you can't hide anything from me! Not to mention that I work better in the dark.

"Yep!" Rhythimi piped up, seeming a little anxious about what she was going to say next. Oh no. "But...you can't go alone. The rule is that you're partnered up with the person you sit next to in class!" She explained, and everyone simultaneously looked over at Keith.

"Oh joy. I'm so excited." Keith yawned, extremely bored with the idea.

I just rolled my eyes and walked past him, heading straight for the stairs. Mightyena and Buizel followed, and Keith finally gave in and started to catch up.

"Have fun you two!" A random guy student laughed, and I had a feeling he was about to make a joke of some sort. "But not too much fun!" Yep, I was right.

I just slapped my forehead and groaned at the perverted comment, just shaking it off. I quietly tiptoed down the stairs, while Keith wasn't as sneaky. I swear that boy made every floorboard creak. He would make a terrible thief. I turned on my Styler just in case I need to make some captures. Suddenly, there was a shuffling noise, and a shadowy figure moved across the floor.

"What was that?" Keith asked, immediately getting on his guard. He clearly wasn't afraid or anything, just a little paranoid.

I just rolled my eyes, continuing to make my way towards Ms. April's classroom. "It's probably just a Bidoof or something." I brushed it off, ignoring his warnings and cautious behavior.

Oh how wrong I was.

Three down, one more to go.

Mightyena and I just got done wrestling a hyperactive Pichu for the third Styler and left the Staff Room to meet up with Keith and Buizel. 'Not afraid of the dark' my ass... He's at least uncomfortable being down here. That's clearly obvious.

I saw droplets of water begin to hit the windows. It must've started to rain or something. I felt a little anxious and hurried up, quietly jogging over to Keith.

He took the third Styler from me, stuffing it in his pocket. "Alright, now we just have the Library." The rain started to pour harder at that point, and I was starting to feel a even more tense.

"Ok, let's go-"I started to walk off in the direction of the Library, but Keith gripped my arm and jerked me backwards.

"Rena...are you scared of the dark?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. Or at least I think that's what he's doing, because I can't really see.

"What? Hell no!" I laughed, messing up his spiky red hair for asking such a ridiculous question. "Are you?" I smirked, leaning in closer for dramatic effect.

It worked. Keith just scoffed, brushing me off. "Oh please, me? Nah, I'm not scared of anything." He boasted, and I could practically feel his ego grow bigger.

"I'm not afraid of anything, either." I replied, punching him in the arm. "I'm a fearless daredevil." I struck a comical pose, earning a laugh from the red-head.

"Oh really?" He asked as we kept walking, clearly skeptical. "Spiders?"

"Nope!"

"Heights?"

"HAH! If I was afraid of heights, I'd be totally screwed!"

"Ok...boats?"

"Nope!"

"Airplanes?"

"Nada."

"Germs?"

"Nope!"

"Rhythimi?"

"That's...yet to be determined."

"Haha! Uh...snakes?"

"No!"

"What about bug Pokemon?"

"Nope. They don't really bother me."

"Nyan Skitty?"

"Oh yes, the Nyan Skitty is such a fearsome and vicious monster that should be feared."

"I was kidding..."

"Sure you were, Keith. Sure you were."

Mightyena and Buizel just rolled their eyes at him. Keith sighed in annoyance, holding the Library door open for me. "Oh come on, you must be afraid of something." He inquired, trying to get the information out of me.

I was about to say something sassy when a loud crack of thunder erupted through the skies, and a large flash of lightning followed right after.

**CRACKOOW!**

I screamed and backed up into a bookcase, accidentally slamming my head on the corner of it a little too hard. I didn't care that my head hurt like hell; I completely ignored it. The sound of the thunder erupting through the air and the blinding flashes of lightning that reflected through the windows made the horrific memories come flooding back, and I began trembling from fear. I tried not to remember. I really, really tried to forget. I ducked under one of the tables in here on instinct, trying to supress tears while rocking myself in a soothing manner.

Keith dropped his jaw in shock from my sudden behavior change. "Whoa! Rena!" Keith quickly dashed over to me, sounding very worried. I was certain that he was about to make fun of me, but he didn't. He moved one of the chairs out of the way and crawled under the table, taking a seat next to me. He gripped my shoulders and forced me to look up at him, and tears rolled down my cheeks. I was shaking uncontrollably, and my lip was quivering. "Rena, are you ok?!" He looked me over, making sure I was alright and uninjured.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a bump on my head tomorrow, but otherwise I was physically fine. I leapt into his arms and wrapped mine tightly around his neck, burying my face into his chest. I couldn't help but sob. All of the trauma was coming back to me. All of it. Every single, last, petrifying detail of that night all those years ago. Mightyena and Buizel kept their distance, figuring it was best to give us some space. Well, actually, I could tell Mightyena wanted to rush over to my side, like he has always done for me these past three years, but Buizel stopped him. Buizel must've noticed Keith was handling this situation just fine.

Keith ran his fingers through my hair, trying to calm me down. "So much for being fearless..." He whispered in a hushed tone, but it didn't sound like a snarky remark. More like a concerned friend trying to calm me down, which he was doing.

I hated feeling so weak, but I couldn't help it. Thunderstorms always make me get like this, no matter how tough I try to be. They just make the horrible memories come rushing back... It's too much... I cried for probably half an hour, and Keith held onto me the whole time. He didn't let go, not even once. We sat there until the thunder got further away and my crying subsided. My face was red and puffy, probably from all of my tears. We crawled out from under the table, and I stumbled onto the floor. I guess I hit my head harder than I thought...

"Arceus, Rena!" Keith whisper-shouted, rushing over to me. He quickly scooped me up and sat me on the table, inspecting my head wound. "Ow...that has to hurt. You have a gash on the back of your head!" His hands immediately flew up to his hair, and he began pulling at it in a stressed out manner. "Jheeze, let's get you upstairs..." He picked me up bridal-style, heading for the door with our Pokemon leading the way.

"Wait!" I stopped him. "What about the test of courage!?" I asked, worried that I failed the test.

Keith looked down at me in a way I've never seen him do before with anyone. There was concern, worry, and a little frustration (probably from me getting hurt and being so stubborn about it) in his red eyes. "Forget the test of courage. You're more important."

My breath hitched at his words, and my eyes got all watery. Stupid emotions...this is one of the many reasons I hate being a girl. I abruptly sat up and hugged him around the neck, hoping that later at school today he would forget all of this ever happened. "Thanks, Keith..."

"Don't mention it, Blue Eyes." He smiled into my shoulder, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

I think this is one of the few moments in my life that I've ever felt truly happy. Not the kind of happy that I feel when I steal a valuable painting, but a different kind of happy.

And that's when I knew that I was in trouble.

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

A man with icy-blue hair stood outside of a window, looking into the Ranger School. He didn't care that it was raining. He actually found it rather soothing. He watched as a particular red-haired student carried a girl in his arms up the stairs, and he saw the whole emotional scene go down a moment ago. The girl had long dark brown hair that reached her lower back and crystal blue eyes, just as the boss had described her. That must be her, it just had to be her. Right?! He couldn't be mistaken? It WAS her?

The man pressed his index finger to his lips in attempt to calm his thoughts, mulling something over. "I can't tell if her being so emotional is real or just part of the act..." He mumbled to himself. "Either way, it's working. That boy is like putty in her hands, and it's only day one. Everything is going to plan. Well, as long as she doesn't get too attached."

With that thought, he turned around and reluctantly began walking away from the school, climbing into an expensive looking car waiting for him in the driveway. He gave the driver instructions to head to Pueltown, thinking things over in his mind.

"She better not get attached for real, or we'll have some serious trouble on our hands..." He thought to himself, getting comfortable in his seat.

The car drove off and disappeared into the storm, completely undetected.

No one would ever know that it was there.

* * *

**And so, the mystery begins... :3 teehee, I sounded all mysterious. Ok, here is chapter 4, and I'd love to hear what you guys think! I haven't gotten many reviews, unlike my other Shadows of Almia book. **

**Read, review, and enjoy the freaking story XD!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Mean Girl

**(Rena's POV)**

"And that's Ponte over there." Rhythimi pointed to a boy with puffy green hair who was standing in the lunch line.

"Ok. Noted." I nodded my head, committing that person to memory.

We were sitting at our lunch table, just Rhythimi and I. Well, her Eevee was sleeping in her lap and Mightyena was sitting next to me, stuffing his snout into my pokepuff case and raiding it...hey, wait a second!

I grabbed the pokepuff case off of the floor and stuffed it into my bag, shooting Mightyena a look of disapproval. He just sulked and curled up on the floor.

Anyways, as I was saying... Rhythimi's Eevee is ALWAYS sleeping. We're not really sure why. Although, it is pretty funny when he and Keith fall asleep together. Napping buddies for life! Anyways... Keith hasn't gotten here yet, and Mr. Kincaid asked Isaac to stay after class to work on a project of some sort. We had already bought our lunches and found a table in the cafeteria, and Rhythimi took this opportunity to tell me about other classmates. I need to know at least a little bit about everyone here so I can establish who's competition, a threat, someone I need to avoid, etc.

"So, what's special about Ponte?" I asked her, taking a perfectly round bite out of my apple.

Rhythimi set her carton of orange juice down for a moment. "He's the school's renowned 'conflicted-marshmallow-boy.' He can't decide what he wants to become: Ranger, Operator, Mechanic, or Scientist." Rhythimi explained.

I just raised an eyebrow at the strange nickname, but decided not to question it. All of a sudden, a large pack of ten or so girls came running in. They were practically pushing and shoving there way through the crowd, knocking over people like crazy. They seemed hyper excited about something, and they quickly got their lunches and sat down.

I just laughed arrogantly at their ridiculous behavior. "And who are those freaks?" I asked, beginning to munch on my sandwich.

Rhythimi just laughed. "You don't know? Those girls are Keith's 'fan club.' Although, I'm not sure why they're so obsessed with him. I mean, sure, he's insanely rich, but he's...Keith." Rhythimi gagged, and I nearly choked on my sandwich at her funny facial expression. "Anyways... They practically follow him around everywhere, take pictures, and they all have it set in their right mind that they should be the one dating the shockingly single red-head." Rhythimi explained, rolling her eyes.

This caught my attention, and I was immediately on my guard. I began profiling these girls, glancing over at their table. "Sounds like a bunch of crazy and obsessive stalkers if you ask me." I rested my elbows on the table, leaning forwards and menacingly staring over at my newfound competition.

Rhythimi laughed, not noticing my odd behavior towards Keith's fan club and how I immediately took interest in them. "That's pretty much what they are!"

My serious facade faltered, and we were both laughing really hard at our joke. But, we immediately stopped at the presence of a certain ginger-haired girl. She strutted into the cafeteria like she owned the place with that same Purrloin on her shoulders. Three girls followed close behind her, and they had some sort of pompous, regal air around them. Over all, these four girls seemed stuck up and thought they were way better than everyone else.

"And who is that girl over there, Rhythimi?" I glared at the ginger-girl, jerking my head in her direction. I wanted to be subtle and not obviously point directly at her.

"Oh." Rhythimi scrunched up her nose, disgusted by this one girl. "That's Kim Daley, the queen bee of everything mean. Those three girls behind her are what I like to call 'satellites,' because they practically orbit Kim." A shadow was cast over Rhythimi's eyes, and I felt like she was withholding something from me. "Take my advice, Rena, and avoid Kim at all costs. She's a total bitch and a bully." Rhythimi huffed, crossing her arms.

I let it slide for now. I'll ask Rhythimi about why she was acting so weird later. "I could tell." I nodded, agreeing with her. "Last night, during the test of courage, she was practically glaring at me the whole time. What was all that about? I never even did anything to her..." I cut myself off as I saw Keith enter the room, and Kim practically pounced him. She was all over him, trying to make conversation and flirt with him. "Oh..." I growled under my breath and narrowed my eyes at her, figuring it out.

"Yeah..." Rhythimi sighed, looking over at Keith and Kim. He didn't really seem interested and just kept walking over to get his lunch. Kim followed. "Kim and Keith are the two rich-kid-prodigies at this school. Keith's Dad owns a Styler manufacturing company, amongst other gadgets, and Kim's Uncle is the creator of the Poketch. They're based in Sinnoh." Rhythimi explained.

"Then why do you think she already hates me?" I asked, keeping tabs on Keith and Kim with a watchful eye.

"She probably sees you as competition for Keith." Rhythimi's voice suddenly grew much quieter. "She's after him and probably sees you as a threat of some sort." Rhythimi stared down at her tray, mindlessly stirring her yogurt with her spoon. "Kim will do anything to get Keith all to herself..." Rhythimi's voice was barely audible at this point, and I had to strain to hear her. Ok, something is definitely up.

I decided to voice my reaction amusingly to her statement to try and cheer her up. "Keith and I? An item? HAH!" I scoffed, nearly falling over laughing at Rhythimi's accusation. "No way! I don't like him!"

"Really?" Rhythimi shot me a wide-eyed expression, truly astonished. "But I thought you two-oh never mind." She grinned, pretending to zip her mouth shut.

I immediately dropped everything that I was doing and stared at her skeptically. My serious facade faded away instantly at her teasing words. "What were you about to say?" I stared at her suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing!" Rhythimi smiled innocently. "I'll tell you later! And besides...we have company." Rhythimi snarled that last part, and that's when I realized what she was talking about.

Kim, accompanied by her three satellites and Keith, came over to our table. Kim looked me up and down, then did me the great honor of bestowing her devilish smirk upon me. "Rena, was it?" She asked for my name, not really caring whether she got it right or not.

"Yes, that's my name." I stood up from my seat, and the tension increased by the second. "Rena Deveraux. And you're Kim Daley, if I'm not mistaken." I looked her up and down, just as she did with me.

Keith and Rhythimi just watched as Kim scoffed. "Wow, you actually are observant and slightly intelligent? And to think I thought so much less of you when you first got here." She smirked deviously, antagonizing me.

A vein bulged from my forehead, and Rhythimi had to place her hand on my arm. "Rena, don't..." She whispered, having a pretty good feeling about what I was going to do.

"Your uniform...it just doesn't look right." Kim said thoughtfully, pointing to my school uniform. "Oh, I know! It needs this!" Kim snickered, picking up a carton of cranberry juice.

In one swift movement, she threw the drink on me, soaking my uniform thoroughly. I had little time to react, so I couldn't dodge it. Keith, Kim, and her satellites laughed, amused with what she did. I just gaped at her, completely ticked off.

I lunged for her, but Rhythimi reacted quicker and struggled to restrain me. "No, Rena! Don't hit her! It's not worth expulsion!"

"Alright, I think that's enough, Kim..." Keith laughed, but he was quickly drowned out by Kim throwing more taunts at my face.

Kim inched her face closer to me and pointed to her cheek, taunting me. "Go ahead and do it. We all know that no one will be sad to see you go." She sneered, ticking me off more.

"I'm not going to hit her..." I reassured Rhythimi. "...just choke her until her eyeballs pop out!" I growled menacingly, and so did Mightyena. Mightyena had serious trouble refraining from attacking Kim; Keith's Buizel had to hold him back. And of course, Rhythimi's Eevee just slept through the whole thing.

Rhythimi put me in some weird headlock, and I was actually having a hard time getting out of it. She dragged me away from the lunch table, and our Pokemon followed. (Well, Mightyena carried the sleeping Eevee on his back...) We left the laughing Kim and Keith behind, and I couldn't help but feel like I lost a minor battle. What a bitch... I'll enact my revenge soon. Very soon. Rhythimi pulled me into one of the bathrooms nearby and quickly grabbed a bunch of paper towels.

"I'm sorry about that, Rena." Rhythimi gave me a sympathetic look, helping me get as much of the cranberry juice off as I could. "Kim is a real bitch, and I guess she's made you out to be her new victim."

"Is she not going to get in trouble for this?!" I asked in an agitated tone, blotting the juice off of my blue skirt.

"No, I'm afraid not." Rhythimi sighed, taking off my yellow tie and running it under some water. "Kim's Uncle is a major sponsor for the Ranger School, so the teachers pretty much let her get away with anything. She'd have to do something pretty serious to get expelled, let alone get in trouble at all." Rhythimi inhaled sharply, very annoyed. "You see, I was once in your shoes, so I would know."

I just stared at her, drawing back a little in shock. "What...?"

"Yeah." Rhythimi wore a sad, painfully forced smile. "You see, Keith and I have been best friends since we were five. I knew him long before I even met Isaac." Rhythimi began to explain. "And unfortunately... We've all known Kim since then, too." She rung out the water from my yellow tie, then wore a look of disappointment when she saw that the stain still remained. "Since I was Keith's only female friend, naturally, Kim got jealous and sought out to get rid of me. Although, at the time, I didn't know that..." She trailed off, taking a seat on the edge of the sink. "Kim pretended to be my friend to get close enough to me to bring me down and embarrass me in front of Keith. She was my first girl friend, or at least...I thought she was..." Tears welled up in Rhythimi's eyes as memories of the past came flooding back. "She was as mean and diabolical back then as she is now. She manipulated me and lied to my face, pretending to be my friend JUST to hurt me. I've had issues trusting people since then..." Rhythimi looked up from the floor and flashed a bright smile at me. "But, you're different than her, so I actually trust you!"

The sound of my soul shattering sounded like a car crash.

I felt a massive wave of overwhelming guilt wash over me. I...don't even know what to say to her... I stared into Rhythimi's eyes intensely as if I was searching for something. I was at a loss for words. I feel a little bad...because I'm about to do the same thing to her...

I then perked up and struggled to change the subject, remembering something. "Rhythimi...what were you about to say back there?" I asked her, and she froze in place.

"Well..." She started to say, running a hand through her hair. "I thought that you two liked each other! You guys would make a cute couple, you know. And I don't just tell that to any girl." She said casually, and I just dropped my jaw.

Us? A couple? Hah, no! I just have to stay close to him for the job, that's all! Speaking of, I should probably make that phone call later.

"Oh, this is just pointless!" Rhythimi threw the tie down the floor, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We're never going to get this juice out!" Rhythimi huffed, very flustered. "Let's just go back to our room and I'll let you borrow one of my spares until Janice can order you a new one." She said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out of the bathroom and up the stairs towards our dorm room.

I just laughed at how quickly she gave up, complying and going upstairs to change.

Let's just hope I still have that card...

* * *

It was nighttime, and Rhythimi and I were in our dorm. I rummaged through my suitcase until I found that card with the number on it, then pulled out my cell phone. Rhythimi went into the bathroom to take off her makeup, which would give me some time to make this call. I crept out onto the balcony, shutting the sliding glass door behind me. I dialed the number on my phone and held it to my ear, waiting for the person on the other line to pick up.

**RING RING! RING RING!**

**Click!**

_"Hello?"_ A guy picked up, and I could tell by his voice that he wasn't the mystery man who hired me. He must be a subordinate of some sort. He sounds like he's in his mid-twenties.

"Hey, who is this? It's Deveraux reporting in." I spoke into the phone, and I could tell that I caught the person's attention.

_"Oh! Deveraux!"_ The guy greeted me, and he sounded a little surprised and caught off guard. _"The boss put me in charge of communications, so I'll be handling your reports from now on. You can just call me Ice."_ Ice introduced himself, and I could practically feel him smirking from the other line.

What a weird name. "So basically you're my babysitter from now on?" I groaned, slapping my forehead and slowly dragging my hand down my face. Seriously, boss? I'm an independent woman, and I don't need a babysitter.

_"That would be correct, Deveraux."_ Ice laughed, then grew serious. _"Alright, noob. What's your first report about? You wouldn't have called if something didn't happen today."_ Ice said, and boy was he right. I snarled at the 'noob' comment. _"Oh come on. Chill, chill! I was just teasing."_ Ice sorta apologized.

I just rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Anyways, I ran into a beauty queen today who could mean trouble. She has her eyes on the mark and has already made it her personal mission to destroy me." I explained, and I heard Ice mutter, _"hmm..." _He must be thinking it over.

_"Do I need to arrange an...accident, for her?"_ Ice asked, and I knew what he was suggesting.

"Oh Arceus no!" I whisper-shouted, a little alarmed at his question. "No no, you don't need to kill her!" Yet... "Don't worry, I'll take care of her. I was just letting you know."

Kill her?! Just what kind of business does the boss run? Sigh... Remember what he once said, and never forget.

_"Rena, listen closely, and never forget this. When someone offers you a job, only ask them the necessary questions. Asking too many can get you killed."_

His words came flooding back into my mind like a distant memory. After they faded, I tuned back into my phone call with Ice.

_"Hmm...alright, Deveraux. I'll trust your judgement on this."_ Ice mused, and I sighed in relief. _"Tell me her name, at least. That way, I can spend some time digging up some information on her that might prove useful to you." _He asked.

"Kim Daley." I furrowed my brow at just the mention of her name. "Her Uncle is apparently the Poketch creator or something." I told him, getting ready to hang up.

I heard the sound of a pencil on paper, and I think he was writing it down. _"Mmhmm, alright. Thanks for the report, Deveraux. I'll call you on your cell tomorrow morning with the info."_ Ice said, and I could tell he was about to hang up.

"Oh, wait! Ice!" I quickly spoke up, catching his attention.

_"Hmm? Yes?"_ Ice mused, lingering a moment longer for what I was about to say.

"Umm..." I hesitated. "Thanks." I felt awkward as I thanked him, but I felt compelled to. He seems pretty nice, actually.

I'm pretty sure Ice was smiling at this point. _"It was no trouble. I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

**Click!**

I turned off my phone with a content smile and walked back into the room. I found Rhythimi waiting right there, shooting me a skeptical look.

"Rena, what were you doing out there...?" She asked me, curiously.

"Oh!" I started to speak as I hastily shoved my phone in my back pocket, making up an excuse to tell her. "I was just thinking something over." I brushed her off, and she seemed to buy it.

"Oh, ok then! Goodnight, Rena!" She smiled, climbing up the ladder to her top bunk.

I shut off the light and layed in my bed for a few minutes. I waited until I heard the soft and gentle snoring coming from both Rhythimi and Eevee. Mightyena jumped off of my bed and grabbed a small black bag out of my suitcase, bringing it over to me.

"Thanks, boy." I smiled, petting his head and taking the bag from him.

I quietly tiptoed towards my door with the bag of rash-inducing itching powder, making my way over to Kim's dorm room. Mightyena followed close behind, keeping an eye out for teachers lurking in the night. I never go anywhere without my partner and best friend. I wonder where Kim stores her makeup and clothes in her room, since everyone's is different...oh well. I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Kim, let me offer you some advice. Never mess with someone far out of your league, bitch.

* * *

**For those of you who have played the game, I bet that you've already figured out a big piece of the puzzle from this chapter XD or maybe not, and you just THINK you know what going on. Sooooooo...how was it? Good? Bad? Pancakes?**

**...I really shouldn't try to write when I'm hungry. I can't think straight. **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6: Visitation Day

**(Rena's POV)**

I layed on my bed cuddling Mightyena, and Rhythimi sat at her desk across the room. Eevee was sitting on her head, watching Rhythimi write a letter. For once, he was actually awake! It was a rainy Sunday, so everyone pretty much was staying inside. I was feeling anxious, hoping this rain wouldn't escalate into a thunder storm.

"What are you doing?" I asked Rhythimi, sitting up in my bed a little. Mightyena flashed me an annoyed look because I moved. "What a spoiled little Pokemon." I thought to myself with a laugh, ruffling the fur on his head.

"Oh!" Rhythimi beamed at me, jumping up from her desk and sitting down next to me on my bed. "I'm writing a letter to my sister, Stacey! She's thirteen, and she's coming to Ranger School next year!" Rhythimi grinned, clearly proud of her little sister. "She's going to be a Mechanic, just like Dad. I miss her so much... She's back in Floaroma Town. That's in Sinnoh." Rhythimi explained, continuing to write her letter on the clipboard.

I just gave her the 'are you stupid?' look. "But isn't today visitation day...?" I asked her, laughing a little.

Rhythimi dropped her clipboard and sweatdropped. "Oh yeah... Whoops! I bet they're here already!" She yelled excitedly, jumping up and dashing out the door with Eevee right behind her. "See yah later, Rena!"

I just laughed and shook my head, closing the door behind the blonde.

Visitation day is a day we have once every other month for families to come visit us students, since this is a boarding school. I know that she was looking forward to today for weeks, and she completely forgot! What a scatter brain...

I think I'm starting to like Rhythimi, and I need to be careful. I have to leave these people in the end. Remember that, Rena. It's just another job. What makes this one any different from all your other jobs? Nothing. Nothing at all.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

Someone knocked on the door right as I sat back down on my bed. It's probably just Rhythimi coming back because she forgot her phone or something. I just shrugged and skipped over to the door, opening it. You wouldn't believe my surprise to see that Janice, our caretaker, was there.

"Janice...?" I blinked back my surprise, not expecting to see her today.

"Hello, Rena!" She smiled at me. "I'm sorry to inform you that we ran out of spare classrooms to use for visitation day, so you and your brother will just have to catch up with each other in here." She apologized, and I just dropped my jaw.

"My...brother...?" I shot her the weirdest look ever, startling Janice just a little bit.

"Yes...your brother is here to see you for visitation day, remember?" She asked warily, starting to get suspicious.

What the hell is she talking about?! "Oh! Of course!" I lied, flashing her a sheepish grin. "Send him on up!" I plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Oh...ok!" Janice shrugged, turning to face someone beside her. "Go on in, Mr. Deveraux!" She led a guy in his early twenties into my room, then left us be.

He looked to be nineteen, maybe twenty. Or maybe he's twenty two and just looks young? Oh who knows. He had icy blue eyes and...hair? Blue hair. That's a new one. He wore a white and blue patterned coat and blue pants. He was dressed very warm, which I found a little odd, given the season. Looking into his icy blue eyes I could see years of experience hidden behind the soul that lied within.

He shut the door behind Janice, stepping inside.

"Wait a minute..." I shot him a skeptical look, and he started to smirk. "...Ice?!" I gaped at him, shocked to see him here.

"The one and only!" He smirked arrogantly, inviting himself further into my room. He made himself comfortable on my bed, putting his feet up and putting his hands behind his head. Mightyena was cautious at first, then quickly grew to like Ice.

"What are you doing here...?" I asked, shaking my head to snap me out of my trance.

"Babysitting you." He grinned like an idiot, and I just facepalmed. "Oh I'm just teasing you, noob. I came here to give you this." He pulled a rather large file out of his jacket, slapping it down on my nightstand.

Curious, I walked over and picked it up. I quickly flipped through the pages, skimming its contents. "Is this...is this what I think it is?!" I dropped my jaw at Ice, who seemed content with his work.

"Dirt on everyone in the school? Why yes, yes it is!" He laughed, clearly amused. "I'm a bit of an insomniac, and I got bored last night." He explained, giving me his excuse.

I put my hands on my hips and shot him a skeptical look. "So what, you just did background checks on everyone at the school because you were bored?!" I asked him, just amazed at how weird Ice was.

"Yes I did." He smirked, crossing his arms. He looked me up and down, smirking a little. "Well, you're quite prettier than I expected."

**WHACK!**

"OWW!"

I slammed the file on top of Ice's head, and he winced and quickly grabbed the throbbing spot on his skull. "Oh shut up." I rolled my eyes. "I already deal with one pervert on a daily basis, don't give me another one to put up with."

He stood up and waved his arms in defense. "Alright, alright. Chill, chill. I wasn't trying to make that sound like I was hitting on you." He apologized. "But you were right to be skeptical, the file wasn't the only reason I came here today." Ice admitted.

I knew it.

"Called it." I laughed, and we sat down on the bed again. Mightyena took his place in between us, and Ice petted him a bunch.

"I came here because I was bored and felt like getting to know you."

Well that certainly was unexpected.

I just dropped my jaw and went wide-eyed, making Ice laugh. "Are you kidding me?!" I asked him, half laughing and half being serious.

"I'm being serious!" Ice laughed, playfully punching me in the shoulder. "We've been doing nothing at the office lately-"

I quickly cut him off. "Because Joseph Dazzle stole those blueprints from you guys?" I guessed, finishing his sentence.

Ice hesitated for a moment, then recovered. "Uh...right..." He continued. "Like I was saying, there's nothing to do at the office as of late."

"What about your other colleagues?" I asked, catching Ice off guard with my question. "Can't you talk to them instead of me?"

Ice just pouted. "I'm wounded that you don't want to talk to me, Deveraux."

"Oh!" I dropped my jaw, immediately feeling guilty. "That's not what I meant, I just..."

Ice laughed and covered my mouth with his hand, successfully shutting me up. "Oh relax, noob. I'm just messing with you. I know what you meant." He uncovered my mouth and I just pouted, crossing my arms. "And to answer your question, no. I can't talk to my colleagues."

"Why not?" I asked, a little intrigued.

"Because..." Ice huffed, as if it was obvious or something. "My only two colleagues close to my rank in the...er, company, are a short-tempered woman and a blundering fool of a man." He rolled his eyes, and I just laughed.

"So what? You came to talk to me instead?" I asked, and Ice nodded his head.

"Yes. You seem more interesting than my colleagues. I immediately took a liking to you after reading your file." Ice explained, and that last part piqued my interest.

"My file?" I asked, a little paranoid. "I have a file?!" I started to stand up, but Ice placed his hand on my shoulder and quickly pushed me back down.

"Oh relax, it's the boss's personal collection of information on you. Only him, me, and my other two colleagues know of your true identity." Ice explained, and I relaxed a little.

"That's more people than I'd like..." I mumbled under my breath, but I'm pretty sure Ice heard me. I got up and started to pace around the room. "So...what exactly is in my file?" I asked, already regretting the answer.

"Well..." Ice began, standing up from the bed. "The police reports on all of your previous jobs and heists, and your life up until the age of nine, when you went off the grid."

I went wide-eyed at that last part. "Wait...so you...you know?" I asked, and I felt a lump form in my throat.

"Do I know what?" Ice asked, avoiding eye contact. "How you're an orphan who ran away from the orphanage at age nine?" He pushed the glass door open and stepped onto the balcony, and I followed right behind. "Yes, I'm quite aware of that." Ice spun around on his heel and stared at me with a harsh glare, gripping my shoulders tightly. "Why did you leave?! You were safe there!"

I winced from his grip, and Ice immediately let go. I could tell that he felt bad, but I couldn't figure out why he was being so over protective. "Why I left is none of your business..." I pulled my sleeve back up onto my shoulder (it had slipped down a little when Ice grabbed me)

"You're stubborn as ever, Deveraux." Ice rolled his eyes, a little ticked off. He leaned on the railing and looked out at the sunset, and I did the same. Huh, I guess the rain momentarily stopped.

"Why do you keep calling me Deveraux?" I laughed, changing the subject. "You can call me Rena, you know." I smirked, shooting him a sideways glance.

He visibly flinched, and snapped his head around quickly to look at me. "Really? I can?" He asked, almost as if he was asking for forgiveness. "I mean... I can?" He cleared his throat, restating the question in a more professional manner.

I just laughed. "Of course... Wow you're strange!" I laughed again, playfully punching him in the arm.

Ice cracked a slight grin at this, and we went back into the room. He continued to look out the window, and I sat on the bed with Mightyena. I stared at Ice for the longest time, studying him. I don't know what it is... But there's something about this guy that is...off. I'm not sure... Huh. Maybe I'm just over-thinking things. Then again, living as a thief for nine years of your life causes you to develop some trust issues.

"What are you staring at...?" Ice chuckled, catching me in the act of staring at him.

I just smirked, crossing my arms. "I'm trying to figure out how old you are...my guess is early twenties... Hmm...twenty two?" I asked, making my guess.

Ice just laughed. "Try thirty two." I just dropped my jaw and nearly fell off the bed in surprise.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

"Rena? You there?" Keith's voice was as clear as day. He was on the other side of the door.

Ice and I exchanged nervous glances with one another, hoping Keith wasn't about to walk in. Ice stuffed the file into my bag and walked up to me, whispering his next few words. "Remember what you're really here for, Rena." He looked over at the door, then back at me. I understood what he meant. "These people aren't your friends, and they're certainly not your family. Don't put your trust in people, because you never know when they'll turn their back on you." Ice warned me, patting me on the arm.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

"Rena...?" Keith spoke through the door again, and I turned to face the door to my room.

"One second!" I called out, then turned back to Ice. Except...he was gone.

I caught a glimpse of something blue jumping off the balcony, and the glass doors were wide open. The rain had started back up again, and raindrops and wind was starting to pour in. I quickly shut the door and locked it, then answered the door Keith was knocking on.

He looked around the room suspiciously for a moment, then brushed it off and turned to me. "Rena, who were you talking to?"

I just scoffed as Keith pushed past me, inviting himself in. "No one. And what are you doing here?!" I asked, a little on the defensive.

He raised an eyebrow at my tone, but dismissed it. "I came to check on you. You know, because of this." He pointed out the window at the storm, and memories from the test of courage came rushing back. "I remember what happened to you the other night, so I wanted to see if you were ok."

I just turned away in a huff. "Forget it! It was a glitch. A once in a life time moment of weakness." I stared at the wall in front of me, refusing to turn around.

"You're so damn stubborn..." Keith sighed in annoyance, and his words caught me a little off guard. "It's ok to be afraid of something, you know."

"No, no it's not." I bitterly retorted, spinning around on my heel. "Fear is weakness, and weakness leads to failure. I will not and will never be a failure."

Keith threw his hands up in defense, a little surprised at my outburst. "Relax, will you? I never said that! Gosh, you frustrate me so much..." He groaned and rubbed his temples, trying to rid himself of his headache.

I quickly caught myself and corrected my behavior, choking out an apology. "Sorry...I'm just a little on edge today, I guess."

"No kidding." Keith joked, and I laughed.

"So...I hear Janice is preparing a little movie night for after all the parents go home." I shuffled, rubbing my arm and looking down at the floor. "I've been cooped up in here all day... Do you maybe want to go with me?" I asked, looking up and making eye contact.

"Well, that entirely depends on one thing." Keith spoke to me in a completely serious tone, looking me dead on in the eyes. "Will there be popcorn?"

I just laughed and facepalmed. "Gosh, Keith... Is there ever a time you're not thinking about your stomach?!"

Keith just scoffed. "Of course! When I'm eating!" I just fell over anime style. "Now, let's go, shall we?" He asked me, offering me his arm in a comical manner.

I just laughed and shook my head, gladly accepting it. "We shall."

* * *

**Ohhhhhhhhhhh PLOT TWIST! Am I the only one excited here? Ok...I'll go sit in my lame corner all by myself then...**

***trudges over to corner, sits down, and puts on a cone-shaped hat that says "lame" on the front***

**Read, review, and enjoy the story!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Leap of Faith

**(Rena's POV)**

Almost...there...

"HAH! I got it!" I cheered, reaching up and grabbing the blue flag. I held onto the rope with one hand, and held the flag in the other. I looked down at the 50 foot drop to the Training Gym's floor, and Mr. Kaplan's astonished face.

"Wha...no way!" He slapped his forehead, dropping his clipboard to the floor. "How did you do that?! No student of mine has ever been able to complete that challenge!"

I just laughed and slid down from the rope, making a safe landing on the hardwood floor. I took my hair out of its ponytail, and grabbed my boots. I listened to Mr. Kaplan's incoherent babbling as I put my boots back on, and laughed at his astonished face.

You see, Mr. Kaplan and I get along pretty well. He's a wicked awesome teacher. About once a week, he calls me down to the Training Gym during lunch for a challenge of some sort. He's determined to stump me, but has failed to do so every time so far. Today's challenge was to climb the rope to the ceiling and retrieve the blue flag, which I successfully completed. I hang from buildings by my fingertips, I have more upper arm strength than you'd think.

"Darn it..." Mr. Kaplan muttering curses brought me back down to Earth, and I just laughed and turned my attention to him. "I will stump you one of these days! I'll find a challenge that you can't do!"

I just laughed. "Sure, sure. You keep trying, Mr. Kaplan."

I said farewell to my favorite teacher and exited the Training Gym, noticing Mightyena patiently waiting by the door for me. We walked across the school yard, looking around at all the different groups of people chatting and eating lunch. It was a nice day outside today, so most groups of friends thought it would be a good day to eat outside. My group's plan was to meet up in Ascension Square, not a bad idea to be perfectly honest.

"Rena! Over here!" Rhythimi waved to me from the bottom of the stairs, and I waved back.

Mightyena and I ran the rest of the way down the stairs, catching up with everyone. Keith was napping under a tree (figures) and Isaac was-pacing nervously...?

"Hey, Rhyth!" I smiled and greeted her. "Would you excuse me for one second? I need to go talk to Isaac about something..."

"Sure!" Rhythimi stepped out of my way, letting me pass.

I walked over to the pier where Isaac was pacing back and forth. The closer I got, the more I could tell that Isaac had a really worried look on his face.

"Hey, Isaac...you ok there?" I asked, walking up to him.

"Oh! Rena!" He nearly fell over, I must've startled him. "You're just the person I need to talk to right now! I need your help..."

Well that piqued my interest. "With what...?" I asked, ready to help in any way I can. Maybe I can earn his trust more if I help him somehow.

"You see, the science fair is tomorrow... And I was hoping you'd help me with my project." Isaac asked with a pleading look, and I nearly fell over from shock.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow, dropping my books. "Isaac: boy genius of the century needs my help with a science fairproject?!" I asked in disbelief. "Ok, I'm smart and all, but I don't see why you'd need my help..."

Isaac just sweatdropped. "Well, that's the thing... I haven't even started yet! I have no idea what to make... I was hoping, since you're a daredevil and all, that you would think of some sort of gadget for me to make and maybe test it out...?" He asked, shuffling nervously.

I shot him a weird look, very unsure. "I don't know about this..."

Isaac quickly cut me off. "Kim is entering the science fair." He smirked, knowing I'd take the bait.

Really now...?

I grabbed Isaac's hand and started dragging him back to the school. "Well what the hell are we waiting for?!"

* * *

"You want me to build WHAT?!" Isaac stared at me with the most dumbfounded look ever, completely astonished at my suggestion.

"Yes! It's perfect!" I shoved the blueprint into his hands, jumping up from my desk in my room.

Isaac sat on my bed, looking over the drafts I drew up. "I don't know about this, Rena... I can build this, no problem. But..."

"You think it's a little dangerous?" I sighed, flopping onto the floor next to Mightyena. "Oh c'mon, Isaac! It'll be fine! It's not like I'm skydiving without a parachute, I'm just jumping off a building! And if you build that vest right, then I won't die!" I reassured, but it didn't look like it was working all that well.

"Hmm...oh alright. I guess this will work. But when will we have the time to test it out?" Isaac asked, standing up and heading for the door.

"Yay! This will be fun!" I jumped up from the floor and ran to catch up with Isaac, Mightyena following close behind. Like always. "We can test it...at the Science Fair tomorrow!"

"If you say so..." Isaac nervously chuckled, running a hand through his mushroom cut hair.

I skipped into the hallway, I was in a happy mood. I haven't jumped off of a building in weeks! It's literally killing me! Wait a minute...

I stopped dead in my tracks, startling Isaac a little. I turned to face him wearing a very puzzled look. "Isaac...what's Kim entering the science fair with and why?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I hear she's entering with color changing nail polish." Isaac rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed. "And my guess would be for attention, or should I say the attention of a certain red-headed friend of ours." Isaac looked out the window over at Ascension Square, where he saw Keith and Rhythimi in a fight of some sort. Again.

"RENA DEVERAUX!" Mr. Kincaid's voice echoed throughout the hallways at a large volume, nearly deafening us. Something tells me he found the little prank I left him with...

I didn't even hesitate to take off running for the doors. "BYE ISAAC GOTTA GO SEEYA LATER! I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW AT THE SCIENCE FAIR!"

* * *

**(Normal POV)**

**SLAP!**

"OWW!"

"KEITH YOU IDIOT! DON'T BE SO ARROGANT! OPERATORS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS RANGERS!"

Keith and Rhythimi were in an argument (again...) back down in Ascension Square about who's job was more important. And of course, lots of violence was involved. Well, at least only one of them was using violence, a certain blonde haired girl.

Keith just winced and clutched his cheek. "WHAT?! Are you kidding? Obviously Ranger's have the most important job, they're the ones who actually protect the world and save everyone!"

**SLAP!**

"OWW!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

"STOP HITTING ME!"

Rhythimi huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. That stupid red-head, he's too arrogant to realize her job was so much more important. "Without us Operators, who would give you directions? Handle all the communications? RECHARGE YOUR STYLER."

Keith just narrowed his eyes at her, but not because he was mad. But because she had a point. But still, Rangers were much better. There's no way Keith could be wrong, he's never wrong. "Well I think..."

"DEVERAUX!"

Keith's comment was cut off by Mr. Kincaid's booming voice echoing throughout the entire campus. Both teens quickly shut up and realized something, the dreaded teacher was shouting Rena's last name. So what does that mean? She's in trouble, BIG trouble. But it's not like that's unusual or anything.

Speaking of the said brunette...

Keith and Rhythimi watched as both Rena and Mightyena came bounding down the steps to Ascension Square at an impossible speed. They were heading straight for Keith and Rhythimi, who were both standing in front of the pier.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Rena laughed, yelling at her friends to move.

They both quickly side-stepped, and Rena did a nose-dive straight into-the ocean?

**SPLASH!**

Mightyena skidded to a halt and decided not to follow his master, standing behind Keith instead. The two teens looked down at the water with the most confused look ever, noticing she wasn't coming back up.

"Should we do something...?" Rhythimi asked, running a hand through her puffy blonde hair.

"DAZZLE! VALENTINE!"

Both teens winced at Mr. Kincaid's voice screaming their last names, and they quickly turned to see him heading their way.

"Yes, Mr. Kincaid? Can we help you with something?" Rhythimi asked, being completely innocent.

Mr. Kincaid was red in the face, and quite winded from the run all the way down here. Despite all of that, he tried to stand up straight and fix his stupid hair. "Yes, have you seen Ms. Deveraux?" He asked, looking around Ascension Square with a skeptical look.

Keith just sweatdropped, now figuring out what had just transpired a moment ago. "Uh...no. I haven't seen her since this morning." He quickly covered for her, hoping the brunette could hold her breath a little longer.

Mr. Kincaid looked down at Rena's Mightyena, who was sitting next to Keith's legs, happily wagging his tail. "But isn't that her Pokemon...?" He crossed his arms, shooting the two teens a deathly glare.

"Uh...yes!" Rhythimi piped up, getting an idea. "She mentioned something about going to study in the Library, so she left her Mightyena with us to play with Buizel and Eevee." She made up an excuse, praying to Arceus that he bought it.

Mightyena quickly caught on, and bounded over to where Buizel and Eevee were having a wrestling match, joining in on the fun. Mr. Kincaid looked down at the spot where Mightyena had previously been, and quickly became confused. He then looked over to the three Pokemon playing with each other, becoming even MORE confused. Wasn't the little rat sitting right there just a moment ago? He must be losing his mind...

Mr. Kincaid just huffed, flipping his ridiculous hair. "Fine then. If you see her, make sure I'm the first to know."

And with that, he stormed off.

**SPLASH!**

"GASP!" Rena quickly shot straight out of the water, flipping her hair up and over her back. She quickly swam over to the pier, where Keith pulled her out of the water.

"What the heck did you do?!" Rhythimi freaked out, looking over her drenched friend.

Keith just laughed and high-fived her, proud of her latest prank. "Nice job, Blue Eyes! Diving into the ocean? I never would have thought of that!" He laughed, ruffling her wet hair.

Rena laughed at him and quickly pulled his hand off of her head. He knew that ruffling her hair irritated her, he just kept doing it anyways. Urrgh...dang red-head. Well, at least he gave her a nickname she actually liked. "I might've switched out his pens with gag ones that sprayed ink..." Rena sweatdropped, and both of her friends just laughed.

"So you jumped into the ocean?" Rhythimi groaned and slapped her forehead.

"Well, yeah!" Rena scoffed, as if it was obvious. "Let's see... Jump into the ocean, or suffer through detention with Mr. Kincaid...hmm...tough choice." Rena said sarcastically, making mocking hand gestures.

Rhythimi just rolled her eyes, wrapping an arm around Rena's shoulders. "C'mon, let's get you upstairs and into some dry clothes."

* * *

**(Normal POV)**

**~The Next Day~**

The Science Fair had begun, and excitement and laughter was in the air. Everyone was inside the Training Gym with tables and tri-folds set up, having a blast. Almost half of the school enters in the Science Fair, and those who don't come to watch, because everyone treats this as a fun social event. Potato clocks, baking soda volcanos, you name it. There were a bunch of different experiments and inventions everywhere. The Mechanics all built machines, robots, or toy helicopters. It was an exciting day. Ms. April, Mr. Kincaid, Mr. Kaplan, Ms. Claire, and Principal Lamont were the judges for this event. They were all walking around the Gym, looking at everyone's entries and judging them. But they were all wondering the same thing...

Where was Isaac?

The kid always entered the Science Fair every year, and of course he won first place every time. But...they hadn't seen him today. How odd...

Ms. April and Ms. Claire walked over to the last table to judge, since it was nearing the end of the Science Fair. It was Kim's color changing nail polish. The two female teachers weren't all that impressed, since there were robots and other cool things that ranked high above this. But, the two teachers wrote down Kim's score on their clipboards.

All of a sudden, the doors swung open, and light poured inside. Everyone stopped and stared as Isaac stepped inside with a confident grin.

"Everyone, come outside!" Isaac waved everyone over, ushering them outside.

And they did just that.

Everyone was curious to see what was going on, so they followed Isaac outside. Even Keith and Rhythimi had no idea what was going on, and they followed their mushroom-haired friend as well.

Isaac led everyone to the front of the main building, having them gather around. Everyone was confused as to what was going on, but didn't question it. This was Isaac, after all. The smartest kid in the entire school, and probably in all of Almia.

"Isaac, where is your entry?" Mr. Kincaid inquired, a little skeptical.

Isaac just smiled brightly, pointing up at the sky. "She's up there."

Everyone stopped and stared at the school's roof, noticing someone was standing on top of it. It was Rena, she had some weird thing strapped around her chest. Everyone started to panic just a little bit, but Isaac quickly calmed them down.

"HI EVERYONE!" Rena laughed and waved at everyone below, pleased with their shocked expressions.

"Ready, Rena?" Isaac yelled up to her, and she gave him a thumbs up. He turned back to face the crowd. "Everyone, may I present...the bungee vest!" He launched his arms up into the air, which was Rena's cue.

She jumped off of the building, causing a few people to scream and freak out. The cord attached to her vest stopped three feet above the ground, leaving her suspended in mid air. Everyone quickly got over their shock and applauded the two students for their work, and the crowed roared with cheers. Keith and Rhythimi were highly impressed, and they were cheering the loudest. Kim had her jaw on the floor, no words could even begin to describe her jealousy and feeling of failure. Rena just jumped off of a building?! That's amazing!

The judges walked up to the two students and placed the blue first prize ribbon on the vest Rena was wearing, and everyone began clapping once again. Rena and Isaac stood next to each other while Ms. April took a picture of this year's winners. They took a good picture, too. Rena had her arm around Isaac's shoulders, and Isaac had his arm wrapped around her waist. They were both smiling and laughing while Rena made a peace sign with her other hand.

Everyone clapped and cheered, they had won. And from that day forward, the Ranger School recognized _two_ particular students as the smartest in the entire school.

Isaac and Rena.

* * *

**Oh Keith and Rhythimi, when will you two ever get along...? Probably never, since I think it's hilarious to make these two argue with each other XD**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8: Busted

**(Rena's POV)**

**~Dream Sequence~**

_I was at the kitchen table with Dad and Mightyena, eating a sandwich. Dad was in the kitchen and on the phone, probably taking another job. I impatiently tapped my fingers on the table, waiting for him to get off of the phone._

_"Mmhmm...uh huh. Yes, I think I can manage that. Wait...how much did you say?!" Dad was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, wrapping up the call. "Yes, I'll take it. Consider it done."_

**_Click!_**

_I shot up from the table and bounded over to him, super excited. "Well? What's the job?!" I was practically jumping up and down with excitement. We hadn't worked a job in months, and I was just itching for some action._

_Dad just laughed. "Rena, calm down!" He put his hand on top of my head, keeping me from bouncing. "It's just a retrieval job. Some guy wants me to break into a secure facility and swipe a bunch of money from a safe."_

_"Ooooohh...sounds exciting!" I grinned, and Mightyena barked happily. I could tell he was glad to finally get out of the house._

_Dad's face suddenly grew grim, and I knew something was wrong. "Rena...I don't want you to go."_

_I just dropped my jaw. "WHAT?! But Dad, we're PARTNERS!" I whined, upset that he wasn't going to let me go._

_"I know, I know." He sighed, trying to calm me down. "It would just make me feel better if you stayed home this time. This one is a little dangerous."_

_"But Dad...I'm fourteen! I can handle it!" I shook his shoulders, causing him to chuckle._

_"Yes, I know. Believe me, you remind me every day." He smirked and rolled his eyes, and I just laughed. "Please just let me do this one solo, ok? And besides, the money is really good."_

_Well that piqued my interest. "Really? How much...?" I asked, and he just laughed at my curiosity._

_"One billion pokedollars."_

_I just dropped my jaw and tackled him into a big hug. "Oh my gosh! Dad! With that kind of money, we could retire!"_

_"I know, I know." He laughed. "That's exactly what I was thinking. What do you say? Do this job, then maybe buy an island somewhere and relax for the rest of our lives?" He asked me, holding out his hand._

_I just smiled. "It's a deal! We'll retire after this job, and the famous 'Raux' will be no more."_

_"To the best thieves in the world. Or as everyone thinks, the best THIEF in the world." He smirked, handing me a bottle of soda._

_I just laughed. "Haha! I know! It's silly that people honestly think 'Raux' is one single person, when in reality it's two!" I comically clicked our soda bottles, smiling at my Dad._

_One more job and then we'll retire. It's a promise._

* * *

**~End of Dream Sequence~**

**BOOM!**

**KRACKOOOW!**

I shot straight up from my bed at the sound of thunder and lightning, breathing heavily. Wow, I haven't had that dream in awhile...

I never did keep that promise with Dad, did I? ...well, I'm going to make it up to him now by finishing this job. I'm going to get that money one way or another.

And in case you're wondering why I'm still working when I've done as many jobs as I have, well...it's because I have heavy expenses. The equipment and weapons I have to buy for each job adds up pretty fast. Not to mention paying rent and bills for my apartment, and taking care of Mightyena and I financially. It isn't exactly...cheap. I typically get paid between 300,000 and 1,000,000 poke dollars for each job I complete. It varies on what the job is and/or who's hiring me. I know, it does sound like a lot, but my expenses add up pretty quickly. Living off the grid isn't cheap. At all. Also, if someone comes to me with a really good cause... I'll do the job pro bono. I end up doing more jobs for free than jobs that pay good money. It's not like I turn down the paying jobs or anything...I just don't get offered them as often as you might think. Sometimes I get between one and three a year, and that money has to last me for the whole year. Although, last year I had a stroke of luck and got hired on seven good paying jobs.

Now, after I finish this job, I can keep the promise I made with Dad and finally retire.

The sound of the rain hitting my bedroom window was almost gone at this point. I got up from my bed to look out the window, noticing the storm moving far away. Huh. I guess I woke up right at the end of it. Thank Arceus for that... I HATE storms. I was about to go back to bed again when I noticed something.

She's gone? ...again?

I looked up at Rhythimi's top bunk above mine and noticed it was empty. Again.

Ugh...seriously? Blondie, you're killing me. You're supposed to stay in my sight at all times so I can keep tabs on you.

For the past week, I've noticed that Rhythimi's been sneaking out at night. Every night she's been sneaking out, and she thinks I haven't noticed. Well of course I noticed. Naive little-erm. Anyways. I don't know where she goes, but I'm going to find out.

I groggily made my way over to the door, opening it just a little bit. I ignored how sore my legs felt from the ten mile marathon run Keith had challenged me to earlier today, and I peeked out the crack of the door. I looked left and right. Phew...the coast is clear. I glanced at the mirror to my right before exiting, looking at my reflection. My long, dark hair was down and I wore black pants and a dark purple shirt.

...yes, I know I tend to wear dark colors and dark colors only. What of it? I don't like bright colors...

I pushed open the door the rest of the way, stepping outside. I was going to find Rhythimi and figure out what she was up to.

But of course, at the time...

I had no idea that I was being followed.

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

Three people stepped out of their rooms that night.

The first was a young blonde-haired girl with a lot on her mind. The second was a dark-haired girl who went to find her blonde friend. And the third...was a red-haired boy.

Keith was always a light sleeper, unlike his roommate Isaac, who had trouble falling asleep and relied on medicine to make him tired. Once Isaac took that medicine, however, he was out like a light and was hard to wake up. Sure, Keith could fall asleep anywhere at any time, but he was easily woken up by the simplest thing. He had already woken up once that night to the sound of a door opening, and there it was again: a door opening. Keith woke up and glanced at the clock, noticing it read 4am. Who would be up at this hour? Certainly not the teachers. Even they didn't get up this early. Keith sat up and got out of bed, walking over to his door. He peeked out the door and looked around, then widened his eyes when he saw Rena standing outside her door.

What was she doing up? Better follow her...

"Now...where did Rhythimi go?" Rena mumbled to herself, looking around the hallway.

Keith quickly ducked out of sight. He couldn't let Rena spot him. She tiptoed down stairs, and he quickly followed her. Rhythimi? Was she missing? What was going on?! He didn't know, but he stayed close behind her.

He followed her all the way outside and over to Ascension Square. So that's where she was going...? Keith stayed at the top of the hill and out of sight. He watched Rena walk down the steps and over to the pier, and he also noticed Rhythimi was down by the pier.

What was going on?

**~Back Down at the Pier~**

"Rhythimi...?" Rena hesitantly spoke up, cautiously approaching the blonde.

Rhythimi nearly jumped out of her skin, not expecting someone to disturb her. She turned around to see Rena walking towards her. How did she find her?! "R-Rena!"

Rena just shot her a weird look, knowing fully well something was up. "Alright, spill it. What's going on? You've been sneaking out all week. That's not like you." She didn't even hesitate to get straight to the point.

Rhythimi just sweatdropped. Dang it...she was busted. Well, she should've expected this, since Rena's practically a Noctowl when it comes to sleeping. "Well, you see...I just...I...needed to collect my thoughts."

Rena just raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Uh huh... About what, exactly?" She asked with utmost curiosity.

Rhythimi's eye just twitched. "Well...it's, it's just about...Umm. Nothing! It's nothing! Eheh..." Rhythimi sweatdropped, nervously dismissing Rena's suspicions.

Rena just stared at her with her signature look, a specific look that could make my one crack under pressure. Rhythimi was holding her gaze, practically trembling under Rena's stare. You could see her forehead was sweaty, and Rhythimi was losing it.

"Ok! Ok!" Rhythimi flailed her arms around, finally succumbing to Rena's glare. "I was thinking about Isaac, ok!?"

Well that certainly was unexpected. Rena didn't anticipate THAT at all. What did she mean by that? The brunette didn't know, but she was about to find out.

"What do you mean?" Rena asked, uncrossing her arms and stepping closer to the blonde girl.

Rhythimi's face flared up, turning a deep shade of red. "I was!...thinking...about how...uh... I-I was just...wondering how I could find out whether he liked me back or not." She stuttered out her answer, covering her reddened cheeks with her hands.

What.

Was Rhythimi...in l-love?! Well dang it! Rena didn't know anything about love! She was trained in hand to hand combat, how to defuse bombs, hacking computers, breaking into buildings, disarming security systems...but this?! Oh great... Just no.

Rena's eye just twitched. "I-I...uh..." She didn't even know how to respond to this.

Meanwhile, back up at the top of Ascension Square with the red-head...

Keith heard everything that went down, and he could see how everyone was reacting. Rena's reaction to Rhythimi's little crush? That was just a little more than slightly interesting... Keith wondered what was so awkward for her. Eh, it was probably nothing. Keith watched as Rhythimi broke the awkward silence, and the girls quietly made their way back to the school. He made sure not to be seen as he followed them back into the school. But still...

Why did Rena react so weird?

* * *

**Aaaaaand this is my last pre-written chapter I have so far. But hey, once I feel motivated to write chapter 9, I will! You see, I have a plan. This book, aka TSTHOAT, will be 40 chapters long, and I've already got drafts for each one + a mini summary of what to write in them. So, I have no excuse to get writers block! Which means my only four legitimate excuses are: High School, my job, my attention-hog boyfriend XD, and a lack of motivation! Thank you lovely readers for putting up with my nonsense; your reviews are literally the only thing that keeps me writing.**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9: Advice

**(Rena's POV)**

"Umm... Hey, Rena?"

I set down the pen I was currently writing my essay with, and I pushed my wheeled office chair back away from my desk with my feet. I craned my neck to look up at Rhythimi. She was stroking her Eevee up in her top bunk, wearing a thoughtful look.

"What is it?" I asked dryly, then flinched at how blunt and rude that sounded. Stupid, stupid, stupid... You're supposed to befriend these idiots, Rena! Not push them away! My face twisted in discomfort, and I quickly started to force out an apology. "Uh, I mean..."

Rhythimi just chuckled, shaking her head. "It's ok, Rena. You don't have to apologize. I know that you initially come off as rough and abrasive, but I know you well enough to know that you're actually a caring person deep down in there somewhere!" Rhythimi laughed, pointing at the place on my chest where my heart was.

I just scowled at her. I was quick to sigh and give up soon after, however. "...whatever." I brushed off her comment. "Anyways, what's on your mind?" Mightyena, who was napping by my feet, opened one eye at the conversation.

Rhythimi just sighed, and her Eevee sat up and hugged her face to comfort her. "It's just... I... I don't know how to get Isaac to look at me!" She sat up in bed, cuddling Eevee in her lap. "Well, he looks at me, but he doesn't really look at me. You know?" She asked, looking over at me with longing eyes, hoping for acceptance.

I just sighed, scratching at my forehead. "Sadly, I do." Mightyena, suddenly feeling he wasn't getting the attention he deserved, jumped up onto my lap and licked my face. I just rolled my eyes and petted the attention hog. "Well, what do you do around him to get him to notice you?" I asked her, stroking Mightyena's black fur.

Rhythimi just sighed again, and she made her way down the ladder and plopped herself down on my bed, right in front of where I was sitting. "Well, I mean, I do the usual. I talk to him every day, and I give him subtle hints that I like him..."

"Stop right there." I abruptly interrupted, holding my hand up to her face to get Rhythimi to shut up. "Subtle hints? Rhythimi, I think it's time I taught you a lesson about boys." Mightyena hopped out of my lap, and I crossed my legs and leaned forwards. I began teaching Rhythimi the basics of being a Grifter without her even realizing it, resting my head in my hand. "Alright, here's the thing. Boys, men, same thing. Neither of them take hints. Subtle hints don't work, obvious hints don't work. If you want something, you have to ask for it." Rhythimi was paying close attention to every word, taking a mental note of all of this.

Is there some sort of rule against teaching the mark's friend how to be a grifter...? Oh, who knows.

"Wait, so you want me to just tell Isaac up front that I like him?" Rhythimi raised an eyebrow, catching on to what I was saying.

I just rolled my eyes at her. "Don't be stupid, that's ridiculous. Let the poor bastard figure it out himself." Rhythimi pouted, only encouraging me to continue. "Isaac just needs a little help noticing you." I smirked, looking Rhythimi up and down.

"Wait... I have to change my appearance for him to notice me?" Rhythimi sighed, looking hurt.

"Not necessarily." I stood up and walked over to my dresser, pulling out makeup bags and assorted boxes of beauty products. "You see, Isaac associates what you look like now as the 'friend' look. So, you'll have to do a little extra to snap him out of his stupid thought process. It just couldn't hurt for you to enhance your existing natural beauty." I accidentally complimented her without noticing. Whoops...I let it slip!

Rhythimi blushed slightly at the compliment I gave her, then stood up and walked over to me. "Oh... Well, alright then. Do what you will! I trust you." She grinned at me, and I stopped rifling through my makeup bag to stare at her smile. I caught myself flashing her a half-smile back, and then the spell was suddenly broken.

Maybe you shouldn't trust me...

I wiped the somber look off of my face. "Alright. Let's get started, then." I smirked, pulling Rhythimi into our bathroom with a giant box of stuff. This should be kinda... Well, fun.

Rhythimi just raised an eyebrow. "Rena, I didn't realize you were so...girly." Rhythimi began looking through my big box of beauty products. "I always thought you were such a tomboy."

"Oh, I am." I pulled out a comb and a pair of hair-cutting scissors, having Rhythimi sit down on our stool in front of the mirror. "I just know how to clean myself up nice when necessary." And by when necessary, I mean having to charm rich and powerful men on jobs long enough for me to pick-pocket them. Otherwise, I'd totally be ok with dressing in sweat pants and T-shirts 24/7. Unfortunately for me, wearing comfortable clothes just isn't in my job description.

"Oh." Rhythimi nodded her head. "That's a helpful skill to have... I don't really know much about cleaning myself up like that." Rhythimi wore a contorted look, and I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Hey." I stared into her eyes, gaining the blonde's attention. "Not everyone knows how to do this stuff. I had to teach myself everything, so I'll help you out. Don't worry about it, ok?" I smiled at her, lifting her spirits almost immediately.

"Ok!" Rhythimi grinned brightly, then stared at the stuff I layed out. "Wait... We're cutting my hair?!" She stared at the scissors wide-eyed, shocked at that.

I just shot her a weird look, then picked up the ends of her blonde, bushy hair and held them up to her face. "Do you see all of these dead ends? Jheeze... When was the last time you had a haircut?" I asked her, wearing a skeptical look.

Rhythimi sweatdropped. "Well, I haven't had one since I came to Ranger School about three years ago..." She nervously glanced up at my hand holding the scissors. "Do you even know how to cut hair?"

I just scoffed, then did a 360 to show her my hair. "Does this answer your question?"

Rhythimi glanced at my excellently cut and styled hair, gawking at it. "Wait, you cut your own hair? It looks so professional!"

I just did a shoulder shrug. "Yeah, I've been cutting it myself for as long as I can remember. I've never gone anywhere to get it cut."

Probably since I can't exactly be out in society. That way, I'm not a recognizable face and I can continue to stay off the grid... But still.

"Wow." Rhythimi stared at me in shock, then relaxed her shoulders a little bit. "Alright, go for it." She brushed through her hair real quick and got comfortable in the chair.

As I began straightening her long blonde hair with a flat iron to get it ready to cut (oh my God her hair is so freaking curly it's a little annoying) I began educating Rhythimi on the do's and don't's of getting your hooks in a guy. "Alright, here are a few tips for you. One, never waste your time giving hints, whether they're subtle or obvious. Guys don't get it." I began lifting up strips of her hair with my comb and delicately snipping off the dead ends. "If you want them to notice you, you have to do more than just hint that you like them."

Rhythimi just pouted. "Well... I thought hinting at it would be enough since we've known each other for so long!"

I immediately stopped cutting her hair and moved my head to look at her, a little shocked by this news. This wasn't in the file. Thanks, Boss. Really. You didn't think to do a thorough background check on these two, as well? I kind of need that information! Urrgh... I'll just call Ice on my cell later... "How long?" I raised an eyebrow, just staring at her skeptically.

Rhythimi just blushed slightly. "Oh, um... Since we were seven? Is that important?" She sweatdropped, completely oblivious to the importance of that tid bit of information.

I just sighed and went back to putting layers into her hair to give it a cuter look. "Yes, Rhythimi. That's very important." I shook my head at her. "Sure, it helps to have known them longer, since they know you so well, but that also has a downside. Since you've been friends so long, he's gotten so used to it to the point where it's routine, essentially making it more difficult for him to see you as anything other than a friend."

Rhythimi began sulking, and I just sighed heavily. Why am I even getting involved in this drama? I'm a world-class thief, not a fucking therapist. This was not in my job description at all. Unfortunately for me, it looks like I'm going to have to help out Rhythimi with things like this if I want to get her to trust me one hundred percent.

Should I even be allowed to give advice on boys to her? Currently, I'm not doing so great with my mark... Keith and I have been barely talking lately, since I'm so busy. I'm always studying for class (since learning to become a Ranger is REALLY hard for a thief...), helping Isaac with an experiment or two a week (or three...ok more like four or five a week. Whaaat? They're fun...), or hanging out and chatting with Rhythimi like I am now. When I'm not busy, I try to make time for Keith, but he's either always in detention or he just makes it nearly impossible for me to get close to him.

What do I mean by that? Well... Whenever I find myself alone with Keith (which hasn't happened much these past couple of weeks) ...we don't really talk that much. I barely even get a word out before he abruptly challenges me to some crazy Pokemon capture challenge or a race of some sort. And then there was the elaborate obstacle course he made me do yesterday... The list just goes on and on. I don't know what's going on with him, but I need to figure it out, because he's beginning to overwhelm me with his competitiveness.

I finished straightening Rhythimi's hair and began cutting the last few parts of her hair that I hadn't touched yet. I took about two inches off of the ends, gave her layers throughout her entire head, and styled her bangs to look even cuter.

Rhythimi gawked at her reflection in the mirror, playing with her hair. "Oh my gosh... This looks great! Why didn't I have you do this a month ago when I first met you?!"

I just chuckled lightly, shaking my head. I put away all of my hair-cutting tools and un-plugged the flat iron. "Alright, your hair is done." I turned around to face her, looking at her to figure out what could use cleaning up next. "Hmm... I think makeup is next on the list."

Rhythimi just scoffed. "Ok, well THAT I know how to do." And she was right, she did know a thing or two about makeup, but I knew just a little more. Then again, that's probably because I've gone to so many formal parties for jobs. Not to mention how many royal balls I've attended.

...what? I've had to con diplomats, businessmen, and the occasional Prince at formal parties before, so it helps to know how to dress up nicely... Hence my extensive knowledge on how to be girly, even though I, myself, am not girly in the least.

"Yes, I know that." I grabbed my makeup bag and began pulling out a brush and an eyeshadow compact. "But... I have a few extra tricks up my sleeve that could make your every-day makeup stand out even more without being considered too much." Rhythimi watched as I added a couple details to the makeup she was already wearing, and she was pleasantly surprised. I taught her how to make her face glow just a little with a smidge of powdered bronzer, and I added a very slight brown eyeshadow to her eyelids. "You see, the trick is to make you look great without making it seem like you're wearing a lot of makeup in the first place." I finished up what I was doing and began putting the makeup away.

"So basically the exact opposite of what Kim does with her makeup?" Rhythimi smirked, and I laughed under my breath at her joke.

"Exactly. We don't want you walking around school with makeup that makes you look like an escort." We both busted into a fit of laughter at the joke, just picturing Kim's face. Well, she had it coming. She always wears like four layers of caked on foundation, super thick liquid eyeliner, and some sort of hot pink or electric blue eyeshadow. It looks nice, but it's just a bit...much. That girl tries way too hard.

"Are we doing this next?" Rhythimi stopped laughing, pulling out a box of nail polish and nail files.

I nodded my head. "Yes. But don't worry, I'm not doing much to your nails." I pulled up a stool and sat in front of Rhythimi, filing her nails a little. I quickly painted on a french manicure, and I began giving her a couple more tips while it dried. It's nothing too flashy, just clear nail polish with a white strip at the end. I do this a lot before going to parties. My father may have taught me everything I know about being a thief, but all this girly stuff...yeah, I was on my own for that. "Ok, so... Obviously, you shouldn't have to change your look to get a guy to notice you. That's not what we're doing now."

"Oh, I know!" Rhythimi smiled, looking at herself in the mirror. "If I had known you could do this before, I would've had you do this a long time ago. And not just for some boy." She laughed, looking back over at me.

I had trouble resisting the smile that started to creep up on my face, so I averted my eyes and stared down at the floor. "Yeah... Anyways, Isaac only sees you as a friend right now, so enhancing how you already look might be just the push Isaac needs to look at you in a different light. Once the idea of being more than friends crawls into that brain of his, he will succumb to your charm and lovely personality, inevitably being putty in your hands." I cringed at how sinister and manipulative that last part sounded, but Rhythimi found it rather amusing.

"Oh, that makes sense." Rhythimi mused out loud, then noticed her nails were dry. "Ok! So, is there anything else?"

"Yes." I smirked at her, standing up from my seat. "Get dressed." I pointed over at our shared closet, and Rhythimi leapt up from her chair and began shuffling through it.

I kept my back turned as she changed into dark blue jeans, a pink off-the-shoulder top, and beige flat shoes. I cleaned up the mess in the bathroom and flicked off the light, walking back into the bedroom portion of our room. I began pushing some furniture back towards the walls to make some room on the floor, and then had Rhythimi stand right next to me in the middle of it.

"Now, posture is key." I rolled my shoulders back and straightened up my spine, then tilted my chin up just a little. "Posture is proper and lady-like, and it's important to have good posture in general, not just for when you're trying to get a guy to notice you."

Rhythimi mimicked what I was doing, and she did pretty good, surprisingly. "Oh wow... This is actually a little more comfortable than slouching..."

I nodded my head, smiling a little. "Yep! It can be a little uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to it, the lazy posture, like slouching, is what becomes uncomfortable. It's pretty simple." I began walking towards the door with elegance and grace, holding my posture the entire time. "It helps to practice walking with good posture as well, just so it sticks in your brain."

Rhythimi and I practiced several little tips and tricks for the next half hour, having a lot of fun in the process. Obviously, I encouraged her that changing your look isn't a must, but Rhythimi agreed she was in need of a long overdue make over. I gave her a couple tips on how to be a Grifter, but obviously I changed it up a little bit to make it sound like she'd be catching Isaac's attention with it instead of conning people. There's no way all of this advice would fail, since it's bullet proof. We ended up sitting around and chatting for the rest of the night, bonding a little over how stupid boys could be. Except, there was just one problem...

I was having fun.


	10. Chapter 10: What Makes You Tick?

**(Rhythimi's POV)**

Dear Diary,

Looking back over the past week, things have been a little...hectic. Actually, things have been hectic ever since Rena arrived, to be exact. Keith, the main source of our school's craziness, has always been a flirty pervert who surrounds himself with the attention of random girls at school. But, ever since she came, well... He's changed. No, seriously! Now, he's paying less attention to Kim and his fan club and redirecting it towards Rena. I'm actually kind of...happy. You know, for him. Maybe she'll have a good influence on him and he'll finally grow up a little.

...oh who am I kidding? This is Keith I'm talking about here. He'll never grow up.

When Rena isn't spending her time with Isaac and I, she's humoring Keith and his crazy antics. I think he's getting frustrated that all of his usual pick up lines aren't working on her at all. Over the past week, he's been acting strange. Ok, stranger than he usually is. He's been acting out more and trying to grab Rena's attention. Although, I can only imagine he has ulterior motives for trying to get her attention. My guess would be he's developing a crush on our new friend, and he's not sure how to react to his new unacknowledged feelings, since Keith has never even liked a girl.

I know, that does sound strange, doesn't it? But, it's true. Keith's never liked a girl. Not once. Sure, he hits on them all the time and goes on dates, playing his fair share of women, but he's never actually had feelings for a single one of them. Poor guy... Destined to live a life without love... (Then again, that's his own fault for being such an idiot in the first place). I know him too well, and I've known him for too long to not be able to recognize what he's going through. I think he's just struggling to find a way to connect with Rena, so he's trying to get her attention by being annoying.

I don't think he realizes he likes her just yet, however. How can I tell that he even likes her in the first place, you ask? Well... Let's look over the events of the past seven days, now, shall we?

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

**~Seven Days Ago~**

"Ugh, that was brutal." Keith thought to himself, trudging out of Mr. Kincaid's classroom. He had received yet another stupid detention from the stupid teacher for breaking his stupid rule of running in the stupid hallways.

His bitter thoughts were then interrupted by a familiar giggle: Rhythimi. Keith peered down the hallway in the direction of the giggle that was all too familiar to him until he spotted his two friends and Rena having an amusing conversation of some sort. His bitter expression transformed into a frown as he watched Rhythimi and Isaac get along with Rena so well. It's not like he had a problem with the new girl spending time with his two best friends or anything, but he had to admit...he was feeling a little jealous that she was stealing their attention from him, whether she was doing it intentionally or not.

Rena. He found her to be a curious person. She was smart, funny, sarcastic, and definitely attractive... But she was also fiery with an unpredictable temper. He could relate to that. HE wanted to spend time with HER, but it's like no matter how many times he tried to, something always came up. Either Rhythimi would whisk her away for some girl bonding time, Isaac would steal her from Keith for a science experiment of some sort, or Keith would do something stupid and wind up in detention again whenever Rena actually had free time in-between studying and hanging out with his friends. If he couldn't have her, then no one else could. So what if he was being a little selfish? In the end, Keith always got what he wanted, no matter what it was.

Keith figured that their similar personalities was only one of the reasons why he wanted to take the time to get to know this new girl Rena. The other reason was probably because Keith ALWAYS wants what he can't have. And since Rhythimi and Isaac were hogging up her attention and vice versa, he only desired to get Rena's attention even more.

Keith mischievously smirked to himself, watching Rena's eyes light up with excitement and a joyful smile stretch across her lips. "I guess I'll just have to do something about this little situation, then."

* * *

**~Six Days Ago~**

Keith had woken up extra early this morning, despite his overwhelming desire to sleep in again and be late to class. He had already set his trap for Rena in place the previous night. He was going to get her attention one way or another.

How was he going to do it, you ask? Well, Keith was, after all, known at the Ranger School's infamous 'Prankster King.' He was bound to figure out something.

With his trap in place, Keith headed outside towards the back of the school. He found a tree just outside Rena and Rhythimi's dorm room and quickly began his ascend towards the top of it. Carefully, Keith concealed himself within the green leaves, and he peered in through the girl's window and got ready to witness his prank in action.

He immediately noticed that the ever-restless Rena was already awake and out and about in her room. Her Mightyena and Rhythimi's Eevee were curled up on Rena's bottom bunk, asleep together soundly. Rhythimi's 6am alarm went off, and she grunted in annoyance at the obnoxious sound.

Rhythimi sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh... Is it morning already?" She groaned, looking down at Rena who was standing up on the floor beneath her bed.

"Yes, it is, so you better get up and get dressed." Rena responded in a completely bored tone. She was already dressed and ready for school, even though class started an hour from now.

Rhythimi climbed down the ladder from her bed to the floor, still feeling pretty sleepy. "Yeah, I guess so." She grabbed the uniform she had set out on Rena's nightstand the previous night and took it to the bathroom to get dressed.

Meanwhile, Rena was packing her bag. She was making sure she didn't forget any of her Ranger homework at her desk. She knew very well that she'd get an ear full from Ms. April if she forgot her homework. After packing a few pencils, her Pokemon Textbook, and her Ranger Guide, she threw her backpack over her shoulder and made her way towards the door.

Keith's eyes widened. No! She can't leave yet!

Keith didn't know that Rhythimi and Rena would always set out their uniforms the night before on Rena's nightstand, so he was just now realizing that the 'rigging the closet' prank was a total bust.

"I'm heading out early, Rhythimi. I'm going to stop and study for our test in the Library before class starts!" Rena called out to Rhythimi as she stepped out the front door, who was still getting dressed in the bathroom.

"Ok!" Rhythimi's cheerful voice came from the other side of the bathroom door. "I'll see you later then!"

"Bye!" Rena called out to her one last time before shutting the door.

"Damn it..." Keith muttered curses to himself, very disappointed in his failed prank. It wasn't often that his pranks failed. He was sure that Rena would open the door to her closet at some point!

Suddenly, Rena came back into the room just as Rhythimi emerged from the bathroom all dressed and ready for school.

"I forgot to set out a new tie last night, so I forgot to put one on this morning!" Rena scurried back into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Oh! I'll get you one!" Rhythimi offered, stepping towards their shared closet.

_"No no no! Rhythimi! Don't open that!" _All Keith could do was scream his plea in his mind, but it had no effect.

**SPLAT!**

"EWWWWWWWWWWW!" Rhythimi's disgusted shriek shook the entire Ranger School, and probably woke everyone up too. Mightyena and Eevee awoke from their sleep, staring at the blonde with their jaws agape.

Rena, who was staring at Rhythimi, stood there in complete shock for a moment. Rhythimi was covered head-to-toe in black Tentacruel ink. As soon as Rena processed what had just transpired, she and the two Pokemon in the room fell to the floor laughing.

"DON'T LAUGH AT ME!" Rhythimi scolded her friend angrily, feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed. She knew without a doubt who was behind this prank.

Keith couldn't help but laugh, even though his prank somewhat failed. The trap was activated, just...not by his intended target... Keith knew that he would be Rhythimi's number one suspect, so he didn't waste any time in high-tailing it out of there.

"Well, that failed..." Keith tried to smother his laughter. "I guess I'll just have to try again."

* * *

**~Five Days Ago~**

"Ok, there's no way this one will fail..." Keith snickered to himself, waiting around the corner just outside of Rena's room.

Rena always nagged Keith about how he should quit falling asleep in class and actually pay attention. That way, his grades would go up, and she wouldn't have to tutor him as often. But, not today! Today, Keith was going to make Rena a hypocrite. How? By giving her drugged coffee.

...Relax. He only spiked it with some sleeping medicine that he borrowed from Isaac. He even was considerate enough to check how much to put in the cup of coffee for someone Rena's size. And then he doubled it.

He heard footsteps coming around the corner, and Keith compelled himself to quickly act natural. He causally leaned up against the wall with the cup of drugged coffee in hand, whistling innocently to himself.

An unsuspecting Rena came around the corner, and she was a little surprised to see Keith there. "Oh! Good morning, Prince Charming." Rena's pet name she had given to Keith on the first day of school made his heart skip a beat, and the innocent smile she flashed him didn't exactly help his heart in calming down.

"Gosh... Don't look at me like that!" Keith yelled inside his mind, averting his eyes from Rena's irresistibly cute gaze. Determined to go through with his prank and regain his pride, he held out the cup of coffee for her. "Here." Keith had to stop talking briefly to roughly clear his throat. "I woke up early and headed down to breakfast, so I got first crack the the coffee maker. I thought I'd bring you back a cup."

"Thank you! That was very nice of you." Rena accepted the cup of coffee from him graciously. "How unlike you to do something nice for someone other than yourself. So, tell me. What terminal illness do you suffer from?" Rena smirked arrogantly, taking a sip of her coffee.

Oh hah ha. Very funny...oh, wait! She drank it!

Keith just rolled his eyes at her joke, trying to hide his joy from successfully pulling a prank on her. "Oh you're hilarious." Keith's obvious sarcasm made Rena laugh.

According to the directions on the bottle, Keith had to put two spoonfuls of the medicine in the coffee for someone Rena's weight. He guessed she was somewhere between 110-115lbs. Well, he would know what she weighs, since he's picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder just to mess with her so many times. So, instead of two spoonfuls, he dissolved four of them into the cup of coffee. The medicine is supposed to kick in within ten minutes.

As Rena continued to drink her coffee, Keith comically bowed like a Prince and offered his hand to her. "Well, since you insist on referring to me as 'Prince Charming,' I may as well act like one occasionally." Keith smirked when Rena almost spit out her coffee from laughing. "Shall I walk you to class?"

Her adorable laugh made his cheeks slightly burn, and it took all of his remaining strength to cover it up. Hah. Keith, the ever smooth ladies man with a reputation for not getting too attached a mile long, wasn't the one supposed to be getting flustered over someone of the opposite gender.

"You may." Rena decided to go along with it, accepting his hand. She didn't know what had gotten into him lately, but she was relieved to be able to enjoy a morning without Keith being his usual dumb self.

Keith tried to hide his evil grin as he walked with Rena down the stairs and to Ms. April's classroom. By the time they had reached their class and the bell had rung, Rena had finished drinking all of her coffee. She discarded the disposable coffee cup in the trash can inside of the classroom, then took a seat at her desk next to Keith. Keith waited for the medicine to kick in. He could hardly pay attention to the lecture Ms. April was giving because he couldn't stop staring at Rena, trying to spot a sign of her getting sleepy. Seconds ticked by, and minutes passed. Soon enough, a whole two hours had gone by, and it was time for study hall. Keith had watched Rena for that entire two hours and not once did she surrender her body to the overwhelming tiredness the medicine was supposed to bring.

Keith just raised an eyebrow at her. What the heck? Why didn't it work!? It should have worked! What was she, some super-human freak?! She drank it all! Every last drop! Keith even doubled the dosage to make sure that it didn't fail!

Poor Keith couldn't have known that Rena had been building up her endurance to poisons, iocane powder, chloroform, and sleeping medications for the past six years in the event of being captured/tortured by an enemy in that way.

"Ahem." Ms. April cleared her throat, glaring at Keith. "Keith? Hello...? Are you even paying attention?!"

Huh?

Keith snapped out of his daze and quickly spotted his angry teacher glaring at him.

Uh oh...

Ms. April disapprovingly tapped her foot on the floor repeatedly. "Keith. Since you seemed to be lacking the focus to pay attention to today's lecture, I expect to see you for two hours after school today to re-learn the entire thing."

Keith just stared at Ms. April blankly. WHAT?! But...agh... There was no use in arguing with her. Ms. April was very scary when mad. Keith nodded his head and hung it low in shame, then gathered his belongings at the sound of the bell ringing.

Huh. His whole goal was to make Rena fall asleep during class and miss the whole thing, but it totally backfired on him and had the opposite effect.

Keith left the classroom with the rest of the students and made his way towards the Library for study hall. "Well. That didn't work either..."

* * *

**~Four Days Ago~**

Back to square one again.

Since his last two pranks were a complete bust, Keith decided to try something new: just flat out be really annoying. If Rhythimi got wind of this plan, she'd probably make a joke that this wouldn't be something hard for Keith to do. Hah. Hah hah.

Rena had scheduled to spare some time for Keith today in the Library. Finally! He'd get to see her! She's been so busy lately, and as much as Keith didn't want to admit...he missed torturing his favorite victim. Although, today's subject matter was very...boring.

She was here to tutor him.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Rena lightly shook Keith's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh...?" Keith lazily looked up at her, slowly sitting up and removing his head from the table.

Rena let out a heavy sigh, causing Keith to flash her a sheepish look. "Come on, Keith. I really need you to pay attention." Rena stared into his red eyes with her enchanting blue ones, unintentionally distracting the red-head for a moment. "Our math test is in a week, and you currently have a D in the class. If you fail this test, you'll get an F for the quarter. If you calculate that and add it to your last quarter grade and average the two together, then you'll get a rough estimate of-"

"Shhhhhh." Keith pressed two of his fingers over her soft lips, getting her to shut up. "Too many numbers."

Rena just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just listen this time, ok?" She was starting to get frustrated with his lack of focus, but she knew she'd just have to put up with it. He was the mark, and she was the Grifter, so Rena would have to put up with him until the end of the school year. Rena was counting down the days until graduation, just so she could get this job over and done with.

Rena pulled out a sheet of notebook paper and wrote some practice problems down on it, then placed the paper in-between herself and Keith. Rena scooted her chair closer to Keith's, that way they were side-by-side and sitting directly in front of the paper. Rena was strictly business, and she didn't even think for a second that their closeness was awkward. On the other hand, Rena's slender body being only mere inches away from Keith's was literally all he could think about. That, plus his confusion as to why he felt this way were the only two things he was thinking about, which only made him more confused. Unsure of how to deal with the situation, Keith just started to obnoxiously poke her at random.

Rena didn't even take notice. "...and that's how you solve 2(x + 5) - 7 = 3(x - 2)." Rena finished her explanation, setting down her pencil as she did so.

Keith widened his eyes in shock and unconsciously poked her once more. Again, he wasn't really listening. "Umm..." Keith's sudden words made Rena look up at him, and he began losing his nerve. Gah... Why did she make him feel this way?! He was never so nervous around anyone! "Could you repeat that again?" Keith poked her in the forehead this time.

Rena abruptly slammed her head on the table, grumbling to herself. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me..." This job was more aggravating than any other job Rena had been assigned before. Probably because the mark could be such a moron at times.

Keith just sweatdropped, then began absentmindedly poking her arm over and over. "Sorry..."

Rena inhaled sharply, then let out a heavy sigh. "No, it's ok. You're fine." She scooted even closer to Keith and rewrote the same problem at the bottom of the page. Keith tried not to focus on the fact that her body was pressed up against his, and his arm was lying across her back because he placed his hand on the back of her chair for balance. "So if you have 2(x + 5) - 7 = 3(x - 2), what is your first step?" Rena asked him.

Keith stared blankly at the page for a good five minutes before speaking. "Uh..."

Rena just took in a deep breath, trying to be patient with the idiot. "You distribute what's on the outside of the parenthesis: the 2 and the 3." She picked up her pencil with her delicate fingers and began swiftly writing the numbers across the page in her neat handwriting. As she did so, Keith just continued to poke her. "So now you have 2x + 10 - 7 = 3x - 6. And then you combine like terms, which leaves you with 2x + 3 = 3x - 6. After that, add the 6 to both sides and subtract the 2x from both sides, which leaves you with x = 9." Rena circled her answer at the bottom of the page, then turned her head to look at Keith, who was still poking her. "See? Does that make sense now?"

Keith just stared at the spot on Rena's arm where he was currently poking her. "Does this not bother you at all?"

"Huh?" Rena raised an eyebrow, then followed Keith's line of sight to his finger currently poking her arm. "Oh. I didn't even notice you were poking me."

Keith just facepalmed. "Dammit...!"

Well, that didn't work either.

* * *

**~Three Days Ago~**

And here we are again, back to trying yet another prank. This time, Keith had prepared a classic for Rena. This prank is beautiful! It's never failed Keith once on any of his other female victims!

Keith, who was lying down in the ventilation shaft above the Library, grabbed his rubber Spinarak and tied it to the clear elastic string. Then, he slipped the rubber spider Pokemon through the slits in the grate and slowly began lowering it down into the Library.

Rhythimi and Rena were taking a break and reading one of their favorite mangas in the Library: Fruits Basket. Rhythimi fawned over the cute romantic-y parts, while on the other hand, Rena mostly just enjoyed the violent parts where people got stabbed and beat each other up.

A rubber Spinarak on clear elastic string began slowly creeping down towards them from the ceiling. Keith aimed for Rena, getting closer and closer to her shoulder. But, when he was just three feet away from landing the fake Spinarak on Rena's shoulder, he sneezed from all the dust in the vent.

"ACHOO!"

**WHOOSH!**

Uh oh.

The Spinarak landed right on Rhythimi's shoulder, not Rena's. Her deafening shriek erupted through the silent Library, giving everyone in the room a massive heart attack.

"KEITH DAZZLE!"

...whoops.

* * *

**~Two Days Ago~**

Ok, now this one was just mean.

Keith had snuck into Rena's room the previous night and changed the time on her clock, that way she would sleep in and miss all of first period. Hah! She couldn't make fun of him for always waking up late now!

He was having a hard time containing his laughter as he walked to class. She'd wake up late, get yelled at by Ms. April, and probably get detention for skipping class. Hah!...although, he was actually trying to get her detention so that he wouldn't be all by himself today in after school detention... In retrospect, Keith realized that that was just...sad. Oh well. He still didn't feel guilty.

Keith strutted into the classroom, completely confident and everything...what the fuck is she doing here.

Rena was sitting at her desk. Not only was she wide awake and in class, but she got here BEFORE Keith did.

Keith slowly sat down in his desk and shot Rena the weirdest look ever as he did so. Rena noticed him staring, and she drew her head back a little. "...what? What is it?"

"How are you here? Your alarm didn't go off!" Keith quickly caught what he had said, and he covered for himself. "I mean... I didn't hear your alarm go off on my way downstairs like I usually do..."

"Oh, that?" Rena just scoffed. "That's not my alarm. I naturally wake up on my own. The alarm clock is for Rhythimi. You know, so she gets up on time."

What.

He didn't share a room with her like Rena did, so it's not like he could've known that. Keith had a horrific realization dawn on him, making the blood drain from his face. So Rhythimi was going to wake up late and get stuck in 2-hour detention with Keith and Keith alone after school today?

Keith abruptly banged his head on his desk and stayed there, muttering incoherent curses.

* * *

**~One Day Ago~**

"Why do my pranks keep failing?" Keith slumped in his bean bag chair back in his room, holding an ice back over the large bump on his head. Over the past few days, the bump just kept getting bigger and bigger every time Rhythimi punched him in the head for screwing her over with his failed pranks. "Am I losing my game...?"

His pick up lines didn't work. She didn't fall victim to his charms like every other girl in the school always did.

His challenges didn't work. Most of the time, she would beat him at whatever challenge he had given her.

His pranks didn't work. Every prank he attempted this week completely failed.

Even being naturally annoying didn't work! And that...he actually didn't have an explanation for that.

Keith didn't know what to think. "Why am I even driving myself crazy over this...?" He sighed, shrinking further back into his skin.

Keith just couldn't figure it out. Why was he so desperate to get her attention? Her, of all people? She's the one girl in school who doesn't fall all over him and desperately want to be his girlfriend, and yet...he values her friendship more than any other random girl in the school. But why? Rena doesn't even seem all that interested in being Keith's friend. Well sure, they flirt and get into fights occasionally, but that's just their overwhelmingly strong yet different personalities clashing.

He honestly didn't know what to think of her. He really didn't.

Were they friends, or what?

She really had given him no signal.

She was always hanging out with Rhythimi. Those two were insanely close from what he could tell. And then Isaac and Rena were the brainiacs of the school who did every major school project and science project together, even though Isaac was in Mr. Kincaid's class and Rena was in Ms. April's.

Although, when he did get to hang out with Rena... They always did talk a lot. That is, when they weren't flirting or fighting, of course. Rena would always call him out if he was out of line or wrong about something, which triggered most of their fights. But then afterwards they'd make up and go straight to racing around the school, doing a capture challenge, or something like that. The more time Rena and Keith spent together, the less he really talked to her, and the more he tried to overwhelm her with his competitive nature by challenging her to contest after contest and race after race.

...

"Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong..."

* * *

**~Present Day~**

It was a quiet, sunny day in Almia. The white puffy clouds gently glided across Pueltown's light blue sky, and a wistful breeze lightly blew its way through the streets of the port city. It was around ten in the morning, right about the time that all of the shopkeepers were opening their doors and getting ready to start the day. Today was a teacher work day, so Janice and a few other chaperones decided to take the students out to Pueltown for a nice afternoon of shopping and leisure. As long as the students remained in groups of four at all times and stayed nearby one of the chaperones, they were free to wander Pueltown as they pleased.

The elective teachers, who didn't have to do much work on this day, were enjoying the afternoon out in town just as much as the students. Ms. Claire, the target clear instructor, and Mr. Kaplan, the capture instructor and gym teacher, were wandering around Pueltown aimlessly and enjoying the sights. Ms. Claire dragged Kaplan into almost every shop she saw, enjoying window shopping and having the day off. Kaplan was used to putting up with Ms. Claire's antics, so this really wasn't anything new for him. He took her to the ice cream parlor and bought her an ice cream cone, and the two teachers sat down at a table and watched as several of their students walked by.

Groups of Ranger School students dashed by, laughing and smiling. And then other ones enjoyed being outside window shopping rather than running around carelessly through the city. Some students hung out by the harbor with Janice, enjoying the salty sea breeze. Although, the one particular group of students you are wondering about, fellow readers, happened to be in a clothing shop at present.

"Oooh, this one looks cute!" Rhythimi pulled a pink dress off of the rack, holding it up. "Don't you think, Rena?" She beamed at the dark-haired girl, holding the dress in front of her.

Rena, who was sitting on a bench near the dressing rooms in-between Isaac and Keith, slightly cringed. "Uh...yeah. Sure." Rena did know a lot about clothes for her job's sake, but she wasn't all that interested in it for herself. She never did enjoy getting all dolled up or shopping for clothes. She only did those things when necessary for a job.

Keith let out a loud yawn. "This is totally boring and a waste of time." He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back up against the wall behind him.

Rhythimi flashed him an angry look before going back to happily clothes shopping.

Isaac had his face buried in a map of the city, completely oblivious to the conversation his friends were having. "Uh huh, so if we go this way... Then... Ah hah." His eyes darted across the crinkled map, mentally navigating himself around town. "Oh! We should check out the electronics store next!"

Rena nearly jumped out of her skin at the mention of an electronics store. "Wait. There's an electronics store?" She stared blankly at Isaac. "Like a store that sells cool gadgets and technology?"

Isaac looked back at the map he was holding to confirm her question. "Yeah, looks like it..."

Rena immediately grabbed Isaac's hand and made a run for the door, not even letting him get the chance to finish his sentence. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Let's go!"

Keith laughed at Rena's sudden mood change. It was rare that he got to see her this excited about something. "Wait up, guys!" He leapt up from the bench and bolted out the door after Isaac and Rena.

Rhythimi, just now noticing her friends were gone, put the dress back on the rack and ran out of the store. "Hey, guys! Wait for me!"

The four teenagers ran across the street and walked down the sidewalk until they reached Spark's Electronics. Isaac and Rena didn't waste any time in rushing into the store. Keith and Rhythimi quickly caught up, following the dust cloud Isaac and Rena had left behind. The two science geeks immediately started nerding out over every cool gadget they saw. Isaac was playing with a remote control drone, while Rena was admiring all of the cool high-tech cameras they had.

Keith raised an eyebrow at the contents of the store and turned to Rhythimi. "Is it just me, or are brainiac number one and brainiac number two the only ones really interested in this store?" He discreetly whispered his thoughts to Rhythimi.

Rhythimi just sweatdropped, looking at her two friends that Keith had previously referred to as brainiacs number one and two. She wasn't entirely sure which was which. "...yeah, it's not just you." Rhythimi just shrugged. "Well, I guess I better make the most of it." She left Keith's side and walked over to Isaac, who immediately welcomed her company.

Keith watched as sparks flew between the two blondes as Isaac showed Rhythimi how to fly the drone. He was a little jealous of how easily they got along and how much fun they were having, and that's when his eyes landed on Rena. He noticed her admiring some high definition camera intently, testing it out and playing with all of the cool features. To Keith, Rena looked like she was a kid in a candy store.

He laughed quietly to himself as he walked up to her. "You like photography or something?" He took his place next to her, leaning up against the wall.

"Yeah, you could say that." Rena shrugged her shoulders. Although, the only thing she ever took pictures of were buildings she was going to rob, like museums. She always scoped out the place a week in advance and took pictures of the outside from several angles, then made a plan. "I've been meaning to get a new camera for awhile now. Mine's just pretty outdated." She placed the camera back on the shelf and started to walk away.

Keith stopped her, confused about something. "Wait. If you need a new camera, then why aren't you getting this one?" He asked her, holding onto her arm.

Rena shrugged her arm out of Keith's grip. "Did you even look at the price on this thing?" Rena scoffed. "It's way too expensive, since it's one of the best cameras out on the market at present."

"Oh." Keith glanced at the price tag, thinking something over. "I see."

Rena just stared at him with a weird look. "You sure are one strange guy, aren't you?" She softly chuckled to herself. "I would never be able to afford fancy things like that in a million years."

Keith, having been brought up in a very rich family, didn't quite understand what Rena meant. He was always used to having everything he ever wanted just handed right to him, and there was no such thing as a price too high where he came from. That was another thing he liked about Rena. Without even knowing it, she would teach him things that he had never even given thought to before meeting her. Rena, on the other hand, practically lived in poverty. She had to pay a large amount of money to her landlord to look the other way and not pay attention to exactly who was living in the rundown apartment, and to not make her sign any papers for it. The only downside of that was that she didn't exactly get a luxurious apartment. That, plus he overcharged her for everything, since she didn't have much choice in dirty landlords in Castelia City willing to rent her a place. Her electric and water bills were atrocious every month. She didn't have many luxuries, and lived off of the very minimum.

"Rena! Come on!" The dark-haired girl's attention was quickly brought to the blonde-haired girl at the door to the shop that was frantically waving to her. "We should probably start heading back now!"

"Okay! I'm coming!" Rena turned around to face her, then ran towards the door. She froze when she realized Keith wasn't following her. "Hey, are you coming?"

"Uh...yeah." Keith stumbled over his words, running a hand through his spiky red hair. "Go ahead and go. I'll just catch up in a minute."

Rena was about to question him further when she felt her phone vibrate from inside the pocket of her denim shorts. She knew the only one that could be texting her right now was Ice, which meant something was up. As much as she wanted to drag Keith along with her, she new she had to duck out and take this. "Alright... Don't be too long." She spun around on her heel and jogged over towards the door.

"Is it just me, or was Keith acting weird just now?" Rhythimi raised an eyebrow at Keith watching Rena walk away.

Isaac just watched Keith's awkward encounter with Rena, noticing how his face was slightly flushed. He let out a content sigh. "It's not just you. Honestly, I think Keith has a crush on her, but doesn't see it himself just yet. I mean, he still hasn't technically referred to her as his friend yet. This might take awhile."

Rhythimi beamed up at Isaac after hearing those words. "That's exactly what I thought! Now that I know that I'm not the only one who thinks that, it must be true!"

Isaac let out a quiet laugh, staring at Keith. "Guys can be so dense sometimes, can't they?"

Rhythimi's lighthearted expression quickly shattered and was immediately replaced with a look of annoyance. "You don't say?" She narrowed her eyes at Isaac, being very sarcastic.

Isaac didn't pick up on this at all by the time Rena had reached them. "Hey guys, I'll be right back." Rena walked past them, stepping out the door. "I just need to make a quick call."

"Ok!" Isaac waved good-bye to Rena, completely oblivious to the sharp glare Rhythimi was giving him for his accidental hypocrisy. "Stay close by!"

Rena ducked out of the store and pulled out her phone. The text was from Ice, and it read: _"Call me ASAP. This is urgent." _She was a little worried, concerned what this was about.

Rena ducked down an alley right by the electronics store, keeping an eye out for any of the teachers or just a bystander that could possibly spot her. She hit the number one on her speed dial, then held her cell phone up to her ear.

Ice only took about ten seconds to pick up the phone. _"Hey! Rena! You're in Pueltown, right?"_

"Yeah..." Rena awkwardly scratched the back of her head, looking around in a paranoid manner.

_"Meet me at the ice cream parlor off of Gracidea Avenue, ok? Come as quick as you can. This is a matter of dire importance."_

**Click!**

Ice had hung up before giving Rena a chance to respond. What was Ice doing in Pueltown? And what was so important that she had to abandon the mark in the middle of a class trip to talk to Ice about? Rena kept asking more questions that left her with more answers. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was about to find out.

Rena dashed out of the alley after looking to make sure no one was nearby, making her way towards Gracidea Avenue. She knew exactly where Ice claimed to be, because she had just passed by there on the way to the electronics store. She ran as fast as her heart would allow her; her lungs felt more strained by the minute. Finally, she spotted her blue-haired colleague standing in front of the ice cream parlor, dressed in his usual patterned blue and white coat. Rena stopped right next to him, panting heavily.

Ice didn't even turn to look at Rena who had just run up to his side, struggling to catch her breath. "You're here. That was quick."

"Yeah...I...I am..." Rena breathed in heavily, then started to regulate her breathing. "O-ok... What's the matter?"

Ice stared blankly at the sign of ice cream flavors in front of him. "I can't decide what flavor to get."

...

"What." Rena's eyes widened in shock, and then she quickly narrowed them at Ice. "This was the matter of dire importance? YOU COULDN'T DECIDE ON A DAMN ICE CREAM FLAVOR?!"

Ice quickly shushed her when she raised her voice. "Shh. People will hear you. And yes, I'm torn between two flavors..."

A vein bulged from Rena's forehead. She just couldn't believe that she ran all that way for something so silly. "You're kidding." Rena slapped her forehead and slowly dragged it down her face.

"Humor me?" Ice's eyes shifted to shoot Rena a sideways glance. "I was leaning more towards-"

"Mint Chocolate Chip." Both Ice and Rena spoke the shared ice cream flavor at the same time. They both just awkwardly looked at each other for a second, unsure how to respond.

"So...you like Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream...?" Rena raised an eyebrow at Ice, uncomfortably crossing her arms across her chest.

"Yeah..." Ice awkwardly shuffled in place. "...it's my favorite."

"Mine too." Rena cleared her throat, causing an awkward silence to fall between the two.

...

**~Awkward Silence~**

...

"Well, uh... I guess I'll just go with that one." Ice stepped up to the lady at the counter and handed her some cash from his wallet. He returned to where Rena was standing with two ice cream cones, then handed one to her. "Here. My treat."

Rena blinked back her surprise and accepted the ice cream from Ice. "...thanks?"

"Alright, now that that's settled..." Ice turned to look at Rena. "I actually do have something to discuss with you." Rena shot Ice a skeptical look and opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off before she even got the chance to. "And before you ask... No, it has nothing to do with ice cream."

Rena choked back a laugh and followed Ice's lead over to a table, and they took a seat across from each other.

"Ok, so what's up?" Rena asked, trying to hide how blissful she was feeling from eating her ice cream. She had been like this for as long as she could remember: something sweet always cured her bad moods.

"I've received some new intell regarding Ranger School events, and I thought I'd give you a heads up to prepare." Ice began his explanation. "Very soon, the Ranger School will be hosting its annual Outdoor Class."

"What's the Outdoor Class...?" Rena asked, having no idea whatsoever what this 'Outdoor Class' thing was.

"That's precisely why I felt it necessary to give you a heads up." Ice brushed his blue hair out of his face, keeping his cool. "Any Ranger wannabee at that school looks forward to Outdoor Class every year. If you didn't know what it was, that would raise suspicion, especially since you and Keith are currently at the top of your class. And yes, I've been checking up on your grades. Nice job, by the way." Ice nonchalantly started eating his ice cream.

Rena flashed him a brief look of annoyance. "Then what is it?!"

Ice sighed at her impatience. "Patience, Rena. I'm getting to that." He lightly shook his head at her. "The Outdoor Class is when your school arranges for a real Pokemon Ranger to come in and be teacher for a day. All of the students get to gather around and ask the Ranger questions, and the Ranger tells them about what it's like being a Pokemon Ranger." Ice explained to her.

"Oh great." Rena rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Looks like I'll need to hit the books tonight and prepare a list of questions..."

"My thoughts exactly." Ice nodded his head. "Ugh...Pokemon Rangers." He muttered that last sentence under his breath, not expecting Rena to hear it, but she did.

"You don't care for Pokemon Rangers?" Rena raised an eyebrow at Ice as she finished up her ice cream cone.

"You could say that." Ice shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "They just tend to...interfere with the boss's business." Ice waved off her suspicion. "It's nothing, really."

Rena relaxed her previously tense shoulders. "Alright then..."

"Yoohoo! Rena!"

"Hey, Rena? Where did you go?"

"YO, BLUE EYES! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"

Rena just groaned and facepalmed. It was pretty obvious which one of her friends said what.

Ice shot a nervous glance in the direction of the voices, staring off that way. "...well, it looks like I should get going."

"But what about..." Rena didn't even get to finish her sentence. As she turned her head back to look at Ice, she noticed the chair he had been previously sitting in was empty, and the strange bluenette boy was gone. "...why does he keep doing that?"

* * *

**~Later That Night~**

Rena was sitting on her bed, studying her textbook with her book light when there was a sudden knock on her door. She set aside her textbook and stood up from her bed, quietly walking over to the front door to her dorm without making a sound. Mightyena and Eevee weren't back from the day care yet (while the students were off on the Pueltown trip, Janice arranged for their Pokemon to be looked after by one of the staff members). Rhythimi was still sound asleep in her top bunk, snoring softly and dreaming of Arceus knows what.

"Who could be here at this hour...?" Rena wondered out loud, noticing that her clock read 11:30pm.

She twisted the doorknob and quietly opened the door a crack, trying not to let too much of the hallway light flood into her room and wake up Rhythimi.

Oddly enough, she found no one standing at the door. "What the...?"

And that's when something shiny on the ground caught her eye.

There was a wrapped package on the ground in front of the door with a note attached to it (a poorly wrapped package, at that). Rena picked it up and took it back into her room, closing the door behind her. She sat down on her bed and plucked the card off of it, noticing her name was written messily on the front in handwriting all too familiar to her.

_"Blue Eyes."_ The card began, and Rena began to quietly read it aloud to herself._ "I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you lately... I hope this makes up for it. I'll ease up on all the challenges I've been giving you lately and give you a chance to rest up. You're going to need it if you plan to keep putting up with me. Sincerely, your Prince Charming."_

Rena just raised an eyebrow at the card, completely confused by it. What the...? She set the card down on her nightstand and quietly began removing the red wrapping paper. The package was fairly big and heavy, so she was intrigued to see what was inside. Rena was blown away when she spotted the camera she was looking at earlier that day sitting inside of the box, along with a Tri-pod, extra lenses, and a case to carry it all in.

...

"But wasn't this whole setup over like 5000 poke dollars?!"

* * *

**So I started writing this book again! Sorry for the long time with no update. School and my job have been killing me lately :( Well, I've written 12/40 chapters so far, and I hope you all have enjoyed the book so far! Also, I suggest you re-read chapters 1-9 for a memory refresher AND because I edited those chapters and changed a few details and added in a couple scenes. Sorry for the inconvenience :( **

**Please leave reviews! I miss hearing from you guys!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11: Is This Gonna be a Problem?

**(Rena's POV)**

**WHOOSH!**

**SPLAT!**

Everyone in the cafeteria gasped, staring at the both of us in shock. Especially me.

I stood there in complete astonishment, just staring at what used to be my tray of lunch that was now all over my clothes.

"Hmph." Kim smirked evilly, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto one leg. "What're you gonna do about it?"

I shook my wrists out once to get some of this stuff off of my hands, then slowly brought my gaze from the floor to Kim's dark brown eyes. "Nothing."

The entire crowd of Ranger School students gasped, staring at me in shock. They expected me to flip out, just like how I used to my first week here. Over time, I learned that trying to attack Kim did me more harm than good, so I decided to deal with her more passive aggressively.

Rhythimi, Isaac, and Keith were amongst the crowd of students making a circle around Kim and I. Keith's fan club and Kim's satellites were also present.

"What?!" Kim spat out her words, glaring at me. "Nothing? You're going to do NOTHING!?" Kim's voice rose in volume as she continued to get angrier.

Kim had pushed my lunch tray of food onto me, soaking my clothes in the soup and carton of juice that was previously on my tray. Despite being completely covered in food and pissed off on the inside, I kept my cool.

_"Rena."_

My Dad's voice suddenly forced itself into the back of my mind, commanding my complete attention as I began to have a flashback of a memory from the distant past.

_"Let me give you a piece of advice. Who knows, you might use it in the future. When you face an enemy that's more powerful than you-"_

_"But Daddy, no one is more powerful than you! So you can just protect me!"_

My eleven-year-old voice made me almost break my facade and smile a little.

_"Haha... Sweetie. You're adorable, but I might not always be there to save you. You have to learn to stand up for yourself."_

_"Daddy...what do you mean?"_

_"Never mind that. Just listen to this. When an enemy is more powerful than you, there's only one thing you CAN do."_

_"What?"_

_"Outsmart them."_

...

Thank you, Dad. Once again, you've saved me.

"That's right. You heard me." I stood my ground, not daring to move a single muscle. "I'm not going to do anything."

Since I didn't give Kim the reaction she expected and wanted, her face reddened with anger. "Why...you...!" She balled her hands into fists. "You're a worthless bitch, you know that!? Just get out of here already! Drop out!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

The crowd of students laughed at the sassy remark I threw in Kim's face, making her even more determined to humiliate me and regain her power over everyone.

"Ugh!" Kim let out an exasperated sigh. "Well... At least I don't have a creepy crush on Keith and follow him around everywhere!"

I just raised an eyebrow at this, and the whole crowd fell silent.

"What...?" I shot her the weirdest look ever. "I thought we were talking about me here, not you."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Kim dropped her jaw all the way to the floor at that remark. She hesitated to respond, not really knowing what to say. "I... Uh... NO! I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM OR FOLLOW HIM AROUND EVERYWHERE!" Kim threw her balled up fists down to her sides, shaking with anger.

I just looked at her dead on in the eyes "No, you just cling to him like a Slakoth and worship the shrine you made for him in your dorm room." I rolled my eyes, smirking a little.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kim's face was an impossible shade of dark red. I'm pretty sure she was clenching her fists so tight that her nails were breaking the skin. "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU! YOU ARE A STUPID, WORTHLESS, UNDESIRABLE, DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING-"

I held up my hand to stop her from talking, then pretended I couldn't hear her by pointing to my ears. "I'm sorry, but I can't actually hear you right now because I'm in my sound proof bitch bubble."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Why...YOU!" Kim, completely enraged (like she wasn't before...) spun around on her heel to face her three satellites. "Bethany! Girls! Let's get out of here!"

And before I knew it, the four stuck up girls had fled the scene, and the crowd slowly dissipated.

"Rena! You were amazing!" Rhythimi ran over to me, about to tackle me into a hug. She then looked down at my clothes, cringing a little. "On second thought, maybe I won't hug you right this second..."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah...probably a good idea."

Isaac and Keith caught up next. Isaac gave me a high five, congratulating me on my victory against the bitch. I also got Keith's approval, too. How do I know? Because he obnoxiously ruffled my hair, like a big brother would do a little sister. It was obvious he was proud of me.

"Come on." Rhythimi grabbed a part of my forest green cardigan that wasn't covered in gunk. "You should take a shower. I'll grab you a new uniform."

I just sighed, looking down at my uniform as we walked away from Isaac and Keith. "I'm starting to notice a trend here of me ruining uniforms..."

The two of us laughed really hard at my joke, making our way up the stairs. Despite having to deal with Kim yet again, we were completely content.

Although, a the time...

There was no way I could've known that this was only the calm before the storm.

* * *

"Kim is becoming more aggressive lately." I inhaled sharply, narrowing my eyes a little. "But, don't worry. I've got it covered."

_"Alright... If you say so." _Ice sighed deeply, and I could only guess that he was running his hand through his hair. _"Are you sure?"_

"Yeah." I nodded my head, continuing to hold my cell phone up to my ear. "I can handle her just fine."

_"Well, you better. You don't exactly have much choice." _Ice mused out loud. "You're gonna have to put up with her in order to complete the job."

"Well of course." I rolled my eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

_"Girafarigs only sleep two hours a day."_

I just scrunched up my nose, raising an eyebrow. "What...?"

Ice stifled his laughter._ "Well, you said to tell you something you didn't know..."_

I just rolled my eyes. "Ice... That was a rhetorical question." I closed my sliding glass door behind me and stood out on my balcony.

_"Haha, I know."_ Ice laughed._ "I'm just messing with you, noob."_ I just groaned at him calling me 'noob' once again. _"Anyways, thanks for checking in. Have you been preparing for the upcoming Outdoor Class?"_ Ice quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, I have." I rubbed my temples, trying to rid myself of my headache. "I've been hitting the books, preparing a list of questions to ask since you gave me the heads up last week." I placed my elbows on the balcony, resting them there. "Thanks for that, by the way."

_"No problem."_ Ice quickly brushed it off. _"You know I'll always be there to look out for you."_

I just chuckled lightly, shaking my head. "How did you get to Pueltown so fast, anyways? Is the office close by or something?"

_"Ah, now why are you suddenly asking about where I am?"_ Ice's smirk practically burned itself into the back of my mind. _"Do you miss me that much, Rena?"_

I just dropped my jaw in shock, stumbling over my words. "Wha...No! N-no! That's not what I meant, I..."

I was quickly cut off by Ice bursting into uncontrollable laughter. I narrowed my eyes and quietly growled to myself at his amusement._ "I know what you meant, noob. Chill."_

"Anyways, I..." I didn't even get to finish my sentence before a loud scream cut me off and echoed throughout the entire school campus.

"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!"

What in the...? Wait.

My eyes widened in horror when it dawned on me exactly who that voice belonged to: Rhythimi.

"Ice, I have to go." I jerked open the glass sliding door and bolted back into my dorm room. "Something's come up."

_"Go ahead and go."_ Ice was completely understanding, although there was a hint of disappointment in his voice._ "Make sure to call me later! ...I get bored."_

I just rolled my eyes as I ran out of my dorm, dashing down the hallways. "You act so childish for an adult, you know."

Ice just scoffed. _"I do not! Whatever... Talk to you later."_

**Click!**

I hung up the phone and shoved my cell into my back pocket, running towards the sound of the shouts. I ran down the stairs and through the hallways (getting pulled over and written up for detention by Mr. Kincaid, of course. Great...) and I soon found myself outside in the School Yard. I followed the sound of Rhythimi's shouts all the way down the stairs to Ascension Square, and I spotted both her and Isaac standing in front of the pier. Eevee and Mightyena were standing by Rhythimi's side. (So that's where Mightyena went...)

I pushed past Rhythimi and Isaac, standing about a foot in front of them. I spotted Kim and her mischievous Purrloin standing on the pier. Kim was holding something shiny in her hand, dangling it over the ocean.

"What the hell is going on here?" I spoke in a stern tone, standing my ground. I shot Kim my harshest glare.

"Give it back!" Rhythimi screamed at Kim, getting more angry by the second.

"How about...no." Kim sneered at her, making Rhythimi gulp and shrink back into her skin.

Rhythimi grabbed my hand, catching my attention. "Rena... She took my Mother's locket and won't give it back!"

Oh. So that's the problem?

Although I remained seemingly calm on the outside, I was completely furious on the inside. My insides were boiling with hatred and anger. I should have suspected that Kim would do something like this. She's pulling on the puppet strings, trying to figure out which one makes me do what. Since she couldn't get to me directly, she's trying something else.

Picking on Isaac and Rhythimi.

"Kim, can't you just give it back to her...?" Isaac pleaded, playing the 'nice guy' card. "I don't really think this is really necessary, and that locket is important to Rhythimi."

Kim just laughed at Isaac. "How about you go to hell, nerd." Her words were as sharp as a knife.

Isaac cringed at her insult, but remained calm. He then turned to me with an apologetic look. "I hate to ask you for this Rena, but...can you do something about this?"

Just as I was about to answer Isaac's request, someone else's voice cut me off.

"What's going on here?"

I turned around to find Keith walking up to the three of us. A quizzical look was written across his face.

"Nice timing, Prince Charming." I smirked at him, and he just stuck his tongue out at me briefly for the use of his pet name.

"Blue Eyes." Keith rolled his eyes, throwing his pet name for me right in my face.

"Oh, hi Keith!" Kim cleared her throat and adjusted her posture, then fixed her hair.

This girl tries way too hard.

"Kim?" Keith raised an eyebrow, looking over at her. "Why do you have Rhythimi's locket...?" Keith then put two and two together, noticing what was going on. "Hey now... Hand that over. It's not yours."

Kim just scoffed. "Why should I?" She flipped her hair, trying to look cute in front of Keith.

"Look, hag." I addressed Kim with a bitter tone and a serious glare. "If you don't give that back right now, you're going to make me do something I'm going to regret."

"Fine." Kim sighed in defeat. "If you want it, then go get it."

And with one flick of her wrist, she threw the locket into the ocean.

"NO!" Rhythimi lunged forward, only to be held back and restrained by Isaac.

No!

Without even thinking clearly or giving it a second thought, I bolted towards the pier and jumped off without a moments hesitation.

"RENA!"

**SPLASH!**

Keith's voice was quickly drowned out by the water that now surrounded me. The sun's light caught on something shiny, redirecting my attention to a small golden object slowly approaching the ocean floor. I picked up my pace and continued to swim further down into the deep blue ocean, holding my breath as long as I possibly could. The locket was just out of my reach, and I was starting to feel faint. My lungs were screaming for air, and I was feeling so dizzy. As soon as I grabbed Rhythimi's locket, I felt as if I was drained of all my energy.

Which was was up? Down? Left? Right? I... I can't tell...

Right as I was starting to panic, I saw a shadowy figure dart through the water and towards me.

My eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the gargantuan Sharpedo swimming right at me as I let whatever air I had left inside my lungs escape my lips. "Glub!"

The Sharpedo swam underneath me and quickly began carrying me to the surface. Before I knew it, I was breaking the surface and taking in a deep breath of air.

"GASP!" I quickly filled my lungs with the long-desired oxygen, emerging from the water while standing atop of the Sharpedo's head.

"RENA!" Keith ran over to the pier to greet me, pushing right past Kim and completely ignoring her.

"Keith...!" Kim gaped at him as he almost slammed right into her. If she hadn't stepped out of the way, she would've been knocked into the ocean.

Keith rudely yanked me off of the Sharpedo and wrapped his strong arms around my torso, pulling me back onto the pier. "What were you thinking?!" He snapped at me, shooting me a piercing glare. His voice rose in volume with each passing word, and a dark shadow was cast over his eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?! You were down there for two whole minutes! I THOUGHT YOU DROWNED!" Keith angrily gripped my shoulders, vigorously shaking me. His eyes were absolutely terrifying as Keith's uncontrollable rage took over.

His nails were digging into my skin, making me wince from the pain. He dangerously held me in place, making me immediately get on my guard. My eyes widened in fear, seeing the dark side of Keith's bad temper for the very first time. His red eyes caught fire, glaring into my blue ones and all the way down to my blackened soul. I was actually afraid of how scary he was being right now, and it took all of my strength to resist punching him in the throat to let go of me.

"I... I'm sorry!" I quickly forced out an apology, squirming in Keith's grip. "I honestly don't know what came over me just now..." I stared down at the floor, having an internal battle with myself. Seriously, why the hell did I just do that for a stupid locket? I risked my life for Arceus' sake!

The fire that burned in Keith's eyes was immediately smothered by my saddened look. Keith let go of me and stared down at his hands in horror. "I...am so sorry, Rena..." Keith refused to look at me, just staring off to the side. "I lost my temper again..." He looked absolutely ashamed of himself, and he had no idea what to say. I could tell he was beating himself up on the inside for what he just did.

Despite how much that hurt, I couldn't blame him. I knew Keith had a temper from the start, but this is the first time he ever showed it around me. "Keith, I-"

"Uh, HELLO?" Kim waved her hand in front of my face, utterly crushing this serious moment between Keith and I. "What about me?!"

The seriousness of the situation shattered like a sheet of glass being dropped off of a building, and I turned to face Kim. I pressed my index finger to my lips, looking her up and down and repeating something she had once said to me before right back to her face. "Hmm... Your uniform. It just doesn't look...right." I turned to face the Sharpedo that saved my life, who was still bobbing his head above the water at the tip of the pier. "Thanks for saving me. Do you think you could help Kim here out with her attire? She just looks too...dry."

The Sharpedo smirked devilishly, and Kim's eyes widened in absolute horror. "Wait...NO!"

**SPLASH!**

"UGH!" Kim, completely drenched in sea water from head to toe, stood there in complete shock. She then turned and pointed a shaky finger at me, completely furious. "YOU! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Still dripping wet myself, I just shrugged my shoulders. "Me? I did nothing. Sharpedo's the one who splashed water on your ugly face."

Kim stormed off and out of Ascension Square, mumbling something about fixing her runny makeup. We all just laughed as the beauty queen threw a temper tantrum and stormed off. Still shivering and soaking wet, I walked up to Rhythimi and Isaac.

I clutched my arms, then looked up at Rhythimi from the floor with an ashamed look stretched across my face. "I'm sorry I scared you guys like that... I... I really don't know what came over me." I spoke honestly, telling the truth.

"It's ok, Rena. Just don't scare me like that again!" Rhythimi enveloped me in a death hug, not even caring that she was getting soaking wet. "Your life is more important to me than a silly locket!"

My eyes widened as I wrapped my arms around her back and rested my chin on her shoulder. My life...was worth...more than a precious necklace that belonged to her Mother...?

I think that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

I broke away from the hug, smirking a little. "Oh, well if that's the case... Then what should I do with this?" I held the locket in front of Rhythimi's face, letting it rock side to side in front of her grey eyes.

Rhythimi's mournful expression melted away and quickly turned into a delighted grin. "Oh my gosh! You actually got it!" She took the locket from my hand and embraced me once again in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Rena!"

Isaac and Keith just smiled, watching this whole scene go down. They enjoyed seeing this touching moment between us.

I found myself at a loss for words all of a sudden. "Y-you... You're w-welcome."

Rhythimi let go of me, laughing at the look on my face. "Aww, look at you all flustered! There's no need to be shy!"

My jaw crashed to the floor. "Wha...WHAT?! I AM NOT SHY!"

The three of them all busted out into a fit of laughter at my outburst, enjoying my embarrassment and slightly reddened face. Despite being put on the spot like this, I was...happy that I was able to help Rhythimi.

Jheeze... I'm starting to lose my ever loving mind if I'm risking my life for these idiots.

* * *

**(Rhythimi's POV)**

I immediately froze at her question.

Rena repeated herself, probably not sure if I heard her the first time. "Why is that locket important to you, anyways?"

"Uh-umm..." I stammered, nervously playing with a few strands of my blonde hair.

You see, after coming back to our dorm rooms and changing into warm pajamas, Rena and I decided to hang out and stay up for another hour or so before going to bed. We were talking about the incedent that happened today down in Ascension Square, and that's when she asked me a question I wasn't entirely comfortable answering.

"Oh, sorry..." Rena immediately apologized, putting her hands up. "I didn't know it was a sensitive topic..."

"No, you're fine." I sighed, then took a seat on Rena's bed, sitting down right next to her. "It was my Mother's locket." I unhooked the golden clasp from around my neck, then opened the heart-shaped locket. I showed Rena the two pictures that were inside. "The first one is a picture of my Mother and Father on their wedding day, and the second is my little sister Stacey and I."

"You look so young in this picture..." Rena observed, staring at the picture of my ten-year-old self.

"That's probably because that's the last picture my Mother ever had of me and Stacey." I answered her statement with a somber look on my face. Rena's eyes snapped wide open. "She died in a car accident shortly after she had this picture fitted into her locket..."

"Oh..." Rena squirmed uncomfortably, not sure how to respond. "I'm so sorry for your loss... I didn't know."

Now that's a weird thing to say.

"You didn't know?" I raised an eyebrow at her, staring Rena right in the face. "I thought Keith would've told you, since you guys are so close..."

"Keith?" Rena shot me the weirdest look ever. "Why would he-What does Keith have to do with your Mom's death?"

I was completely shocked that he never told her. "Well, I told you that Keith and I knew each other since we were really little, right?" I asked her.

"Yeah." Rena nodded her head, answering my question.

"Well, I met Keith through our Mother's. They were work friends." I explained to her. "They worked together by raising money for charities. My Mother and Keith's Mother died in the same car crash..." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "I seriously thought he would have told you...but I guess not."

Rena wore the most shocked look on her face that I've ever seen her make. She was completely speechless, and it looked like she was thinking something over.

"I'm sorry, did I say something weird?" I sheepishly smiled at her, unsure of what to say.

Rena's eyes quickly darted from the floor and to my face. "Oh, not at all! I was just thinking something over..."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at her, a little curious. "Like what?"

Rena glanced at me nervously, probably wondering if she should tell me what it was she was thinking. She then stood up from the bed and looked out the window. "I just found it odd that we both have similar keepsakes from our Mother's."

What...? "What's your keepsake, Rena?" I asked her.

Wait, if she has a keepsake of her Mother's, does that mean she...? No, she couldn't possibly be dead. Yeah, Rena probably just misses her Mother while she's here at Ranger School, so she has something of hers to make her feel better about being away from her. Yeah, I'm sure that's it.

"...a bracelet." Rena answered shyly.

Huh. Rena got very quiet and shy all of a sudden, two traits I've rarely seen her demonstrate. She then opened a drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a small wooden jewelry box and sat back down next to me.

Rena opened the lid and pulled out a beautiful silver bracelet that was decorated by strange little blue stones that glittered in the light. "This is my keepsake."

"It's beautiful." I smiled at her brightly, admiring the bracelet. "Why don't you wear it? I'm always wearing my Mother's locket."

"Oh... Uh, I..." Rena shyly tore her eyes away from me. "...jewelry was never really my thing."

"Oh, nonsense!" I laughed, waving her off. "Come on, put it on! It's your Mother's, so you should wear it with pride!"

Rena cautiously slipped it over her left wrist. "Huh... This is the first time I've actually worn it."

"And...?" I grinned at her. "How does it feel?"

Rena's momentary shyness melted away and was replaced by a gentle, warm smile. "Pretty...nice."

* * *

**So I bet I'm seriously confusing you guys about Rena's past XD good! You're supposed to be confused!**

**Also, I'm being really mean to my wattpad readers, since I have more of them on that website AND because my friends all read this book on there XD so here's what I did. People started commenting who they shipped, and I noticed about 50% ship RenaxKeith and 50% ship RenaxIce. The thing is, I already have one of those ships set in my mind for this book, but I didn't tell them which one it was XD so, I created ship names for BOTH of those ships to throw them off so they'll be really surprised at the end. So RenaxKeith is now FabricationOfLiesShipping, and RenaxIce is ColdHeartedShipping. Funny thing is, if you look closely throughout the book at the dialogue and everyone's emotions, you can CLEARLY tell that the book only supports one of those ships. **

**Moral of the story, I'm being a tease to my wattpad readers and half of them are going to kill me by the time the book is over XD eheh...**

**Read, review, and enjoy the story before they kill me!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Outdoor Class

**(Rena's POV)**

**~Flashback Sequence~**

_"Why do I have to do this again...?" I stared blankly up into my Dad's blue eyes, tilting my head to the side in confusion._

_"Little Rena..." My Dad chuckled, ruffling the hair that was atop of my head. "A true thief knows to how protect themselves at all times. You never know when you might need to defend yourself."_

_I stared down at the little boxing gloves Dad had placed over my fists. "But why...?"_

_Dad just stared directly into my eyes with a look of concern. "Well, what happens if we're out on a job and the guards corner you? You need to learn how to knock out enemies that are bigger than you and knock them out quickly and decisively." Dad then took his position in front of me, standing his ground. "Now, take a swing at me."_

_I hesitated, not sure if I really wanted to punch my Dad. However, the fiery determination that glowed in his eyes suggested that this is what he wanted me to do._

_"Ok..." I reluctantly stepped closer to him, readying my fists. "Here we go!"_

_I slammed my fist into his chest as hard as I possibly could...but he completely blocked it without even hesitating._

_Dad just sighed and shook his head. "Is that all you've got?"_

_I bit down on my lower lip, a little peeved at what he had said. "N-no!"_

_"Then try to hit me harder!" Dad insisted, getting ready to block my punch again._

_I grunted as I slammed my fist into his gut, but he blocked me again. I threw punch after punch after punch, only to be blocked over and over again by Dad's quick reflexes. I even tried that roundhouse kick thing he showed me last week a few times, but it was like no matter what move I used, I would just never be good enough to surpass him._

_I sighed heavily and flopped onto the ground, pouting at my crushing defeat. "I'm just not cut out for this, Sensei!"_

_Dad just sighed, then crouched down onto the floor in front of me. "Now that's just crazy talk. You're only ten, Rena. It'll take you years of practice to get this down. I've been training to be a thief since I was your age, and I was taught by my Sensei, who was a lot tougher than me. You're lucky that I'm going so easy on you." Dad stood up and offered his hand out to me. "Now...are you ready to try again?"_

_Feeling a little more determined, I grasped his hand and let him pull me up. "...Yes! I'm ready!"_

_"That's my girl." Dad obnoxiously ruffled my hair, then brought me over to a giant punching bag hanging from our gym's ceiling. "Now, here are the spots you want to hit." Dad went ahead and pointed to the spots on the punching bag and explained where these places were on the human body. "There are several pressure points you want to hit, like here." Dad pointed to a spot that would be around the stomach area. "You have to do a really strong uppercut right here if you want this guy to be knocked down and STAY down." He turned to me with a warm smile on his face. "Also, if you're in a pinch, go for throat punches. If you hit a man hard enough, it'll kill him, so you have to be careful. But, if you're in danger and you have no other choice, don't hesitate to defend yourself."_

_"Ok, Dad..." I nodded, paying attention to his lecture 100%. I shyly looked up at his face, then wrapped my arms tightly around his legs since I was too short to reach his torso. "Thanks, Daddy!"_

_Dad just chuckled. "Anything for my Princess!"_

* * *

**~End of Flashback Sequence~**

"Are you ready?" Mr. Kaplan got out his stop watch, standing right beside me and the punching bag.

I readied my fists and spread my feet apart, glaring intensely at the punching bag with fiery determination. "Ready."

Mr. Kaplan just smirked. "Your challenge this time is to deliver as much damage to this punching bag as you possibly can within thirty seconds." Mr. Kaplan placed his finger on the button, preparing himself. "Get ready... Get set..."

I slowly closed my eyes at the sound of the Training Gym's door opening, taking in a deep breath. I focused completely at the task at hand, and reached back into the corner of my mind where my fighting technique and knowledge was stored. Dad's instructions were flowing through my mind as I faintly heard the sound of someone walking into the Gym and standing off to the side to watch.

"GO!"

I immediately slammed my fist into the dead center of the punching bag at Kaplan's shrill voice. I stepped forward with my left foot and brought my right leg forward for a roundhouse kick, slamming the punching bag right in the center. With my right fist, I delivered an intense uppercut to the punching bag, making it jump up and down on its chain. With fifteen seconds left on the clock, I continued to hit the punching bag as hard as I could in as many places as possible, delivering several quick and decisively calculated blows.

**RIIIIIIIP!**

**BAM!**

I watched as the punching bag detached itself from the chain, which had once left it suspended from the ceiling, and it slided roughly across the polished wood floor. It collided with the wall with a deafening sound, making it echo throughout the entire Training Gym.

Mr. Kaplan clicked a tiny button on his stop watch, making a tiny beeping sound come from it. His jaw dragged across the floor as he uttered not even half a sentence. "...time."

Feeling proud of my accomplishment, I slipped my black boxing gloves off of my fists. I was only dressed in a simple black cami, white gym shorts, and my typical tennis shoes.

Suddenly, a round of applause that wasn't coming from Mr. Kaplan echoed through the Training Gym. My eyes were immediately directed to the doorway, and they widened at the sight of the person standing there. "Keith?!" I dropped my jaw in shock. What was he doing here?!

"I must say..." Keith began walking towards me with one hand behind his back. "...I'm impressed, Blue Eyes." Keith smirked, only two feet away from me at this point. "Who knew you were so capable of fighting with such skill?" He seemed so casual about it, not even acknowledging my reddened face and obvious embarrassment.

"Wha..." I completely froze up, unsure how to respond to being completely caught off guard. "Keith! W-what are you doing here?!"

"You're late, so I came to get you." Keith smirked, as if the answer was obvious and I was just too stupid to see it. "The Outdoor class is about to start." Keith pulled out my jacket from behind his back and handed it to me. "Here, put this on. Don't mind the fact that you're not in full uniform."

Oh shoot! Is it that time already?!

"Crap!" I cursed to myself, then threw on my jacket. "Sorry Mr. Kaplan, but I have to go!" I turned to wave good-bye to him, wearing a rushed smile.

"It's fine!" Kaplan waved me off. "Hurry up and go! You don't want to miss this!"

I can't believe that I completely forgot about the Outdoor Class. It's not like I was preparing for this for weeks or anything...

I ran past Keith and left him in the dust, dashing towards the door.

Keith let out a lighthearted laugh, then gave chase to me. "Hey, Blue Eyes! Wait for me!"

I bolted across the School Yard from the left side with the Training Gym I was just in, and I started to head towards the right side where the descending staircase that led down to Ascension Square was. Keith was starting to catch up, but I was faster. It wasn't that much of a run, maybe like a two minute jog. However, when I found myself standing at the top of the stairs and about to run down them, I rummaged through my jacket pocket.

"Where is my list of questions?" I asked myself, digging through both my jacket pockets. When my fingers touched nothing but fabric, a sinking feeling found its way into the pit of my stomach, and a fearsome shock ran through my body. "Oh no... Don't tell me I..."

"Lost it?" Keith's mocking voice was right behind me, and I turned around to face the red-head with a heavy sigh. "No, you didn't lose it, because I have it right here." Keith held my list of questions right above my head with a taunting smirk written across his lips.

"Hey!" I glared at him, furrowing my brow. "Give that back!" I tried to grab it, but Keith only held it higher above my head in response.

"Nope!" Keith's carefree and arrogant laugh rang through my ears.

My face reddened with anger, and I balled up my fists. I kept trying to jump and grab it, but the dolt kept holding it up higher each time. My attempts soon proved to be futile, considering the fact that I'm 5'6 and Keith is 6'2 inches tall.

"Oops." Keith purposely let go of my paper, letting the wind carry it away.

"NO!" I tried to reach out and grab it, but the breeze blew it out of my reach and over towards the edge of the cliff.

This is one of the few times I really hated the fact that our school was built right atop of a cliff bordering the ocean.

I ran to the edge to grab my list of questions, but it was carried down into the ocean by the wind. I watched helplessly as the ocean swallowed my two weeks of hard work whole.

"You're too high-strung about this, you know." Keith shook his head at me. "You don't need to research questions to ask." Keith's red eyes pierced my cold gaze I was currently giving him. "You're allowed to ask one single question, so just ask a question that you have on your mind and you actually put thought into. No textbook is going to show you what questions to ask." He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, relaxing his shoulders in a casual manner.

I tried not to strangle him from how angry I was. "Y-you... UGH!" I slammed my fist into the square of his chest. "I worked so hard on those questions goddammit!"

"OOF!" Keith caught my fist as soon as my punch landed. "Oww... Yeesh, Blue Eyes. Calm down, will you?" He raised an eyebrow at me, staring into my eyes. It seemed like he was searching for something in them. What? What is he looking at?

Just now noticing he was still holding my fist within his hand, I quickly jerked it back and started to walk down the stairs. "...whatever."

Keith's heavy sigh grew more distant as I walked away from him. "You never do say what's really on your mind, do you?"

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to hold in what I was feeling and not let it show on my face. Completely ignoring Keith, I walked the rest of the way down the stairs. A little to my left and directly in my line of sight was a huge half-circle of students sitting on the ground, and their family Pokemon accompanied them. It didn't take me long to spot Rhythimi, Isaac, and our three Pokemon all sitting in the dead center of the arc. Mightyena and Buizel were saving Keith and I two spots to sit. I walked over and sat down, and Keith soon joined me. In front of me stood the pledge stone that towered over us all, and three teachers stood around it: Ms. April, Mr. Kincaid, and Principal Lamont. There was an unfamiliar man dressed in what I assumed to be a Ranger Uniform sitting atop of the Pledge Stone, staring down at the crowd of students before him. I immediately noticed that he had a brunette Afro that he could definitely not pull off.

"Crawford, get down from there!" A vein bulged from Ms. April's forehead as she scolded the Pokemon Ranger.

"Alright, alright!" The Pokemon Ranger, Crawford, chuckled. He leapt down from the Pledge Stone and stood in front of Ms. April, towering over the shorter woman. "Happy now?"

"It's not like you make it easy for me." Ms. April narrowed her eyes at Crawford, then relaxed and breathed out a deep sigh. "You never change, do you, Crawford?" She stared up at the Pokemon Ranger. "Well, except for that ridiculous Afro you've got going on there. Back when you were my student, your hair didn't look that...well, horrible."

"Hey!" Crawford laughed off the insult, sweatdropping a little. "If you're going to make fun of something, make it my jokes! Don't make fun of the hair!" Crawford affectionately pet his Afro. "I'm really proud of this thing!"

A small Grass-type Pokemon that resembled a flower bud stood by Crawford's feet, timidly looking at the crowd of students in front of him. I immediately recognized this Pokemon as a Budew.

Ms. April just sighed at Crawford's ridiculousness. "Fine, fine..." She spun around to face the crowd of students, clapping her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Let us begin our annual Outdoor Class!"

"YEAAAAAH!" The crowd of students cheered happily, applauding vigorously.

"Students, I would like to introduce you to a former student of mine..." She turned to face Pokemon Ranger Crawford. "This is Crawford."

"HI CRAWFORD!" The two combined classes of Ms. April and Mr. Kincaid greeted the Pokemon Ranger in unison.

"Hi guys!" Crawford waved to us all with a bright grin on his face.

"This should be interesting." Rhythimi stretched her arms, then started to pet her sleeping Eevee that was currently sitting in her lap.

"Last year's Outdoor Class was pretty outstanding, so I look forward to seeing how this one will go." Isaac mused out loud, adjusting his sitting position on the grass to get comfortable already.

"Yeah, yeah." Keith impatiently cut in. "Let's just get on with it already. I want to ask my question!" Keith's Buizel leapt up onto his shoulder to get a better view of Crawford, since he was a shorter Pokemon.

I simply just rolled my eyes at Keith, remaining silent. Mightyena curled up on the grass in front of Rhythimi and I. Eevee, waking up to the presence of Mightyena, crawled out of Rhythimi's lap and made himself comfortable on Mightyena's back. Within seconds the two Pokemon were dozing off together.

"Aww..." Rhythimi cooed. "I swear, they're the cutest napping buddies EVER!"

"Hello everyone!" Crawford demanded all attention with his sudden greeting. "My name is Crawford, and this is my third year of being a Pokemon Ranger." He bent down to pick up the green flower-bud Pokemon off of the ground and set him atop of his shoulder. "And this is my Partner Pokemon, Budew!"

"Crawford was my student about three years ago." Ms. April chimed in, stepping up to stand next to Crawford.

"Yeah, and I made her mad at least once a day!" Crawford sweatdropped and awkwardly scratched the back of his head, making us all laugh.

"Oh, Crawford. Don't bother lying to the students." Ms. April rolled her eyes. "You and I both know you made me mad at least three times a day."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

Crawford just shrugged his shoulders. "Ah... Well, what can I say? Eh... Eheh..." He sheepishly stared at the crowd of students before him.

"Despite that..." Ms. April interrupted. "Crawford was a brilliant student who cheered everyone up with his...er, eccentric jokes." Ms. April cringed, seeming to have a flashback.

Crawford just scowled at her. "Hey... My jokes are totally funny!" A lightbulb practically lit up above his head. "Oh! I'll tell one now! What did the pineapple say to the orange when-"

"Crawford." Ms. April bitterly cut him off, just giving him a look.

Crawford shrunk back into his skin a little. "...ok, so maybe I won't tell a joke."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ms. April rubbed at her temples. "Yeesh..." She sighed, then looked over at all of us. "Ok, students. How about we start the question and answer session?"

"YEAH!"

"Ok!" Crawford agreed, then began scanning the crowd of students raising their hands. "Hmm... How about...you!" He pointed to one of the girls from Mr. Kincaid's class.

She cleared her throat, speaking up. "...is it hard being a Ranger?"

Crawford seemed to mull this over for a minute. "Well... It has its ups and downs, just like any other job." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's tough to say, really. It depends on the person. For me, it's not a particularly hard job, but it might be more difficult for others."

"Oh, ok..." She put her hand back down, then smiled at Crawford. "Thanks!"

"No problem!" Crawford gave her a thumbs up, then turned his head to face Isaac. "Kid with the mushroom hair! Proceed with your question!"

Isaac just groaned at the comment about his unusually cut hair, then continued to ask his question. "What's the hardest type of Pokemon to capture?"

Crawford exhaled sharply. "Definitely Psychic and Ghost-types." He ran a hand through his hair. "Those things have a nasty habit of teleporting out of your capture line."

"Oh... I never even thought of that." Isaac pressed his index finger to his lips. "...Thanks!"

"Don't mention it!" Crawford flashed him a goofy grin. "How about...you next!" He pointed over at Ponte, one of the kids from my class at last.

"Do you have a Ranger Partner?" Ponte asked, putting his hand down after Crawford called on him.

The slightest, barely noticeable blush crept up on Crawford's cheeks. "Um...yes. Her name is Luana, aka the Vientown Base's resident 'Toaster Killer.'" Crawford chuckled. "She's not exactly the best cook...at all." He sweatdropped, wearing a sheepish look.

After all of the students calmed down and stopped laughing, a blonde girl from Mr. Kincaid's class asked her question next. "How did you meet your Budew?"

"Budew?" Crawford raised an eyebrow, then glanced a his partner on his shoulder. "Well... Funny story, actually-"

I just yawned and tuned out the rest of this conversation. Was this supposed to be entertaining and educational...? Yeesh... It's so boring.

I was about to turn to look at Keith and make a snarky comment of some sort, but I noticed that the red-head was...actually paying attention.

...

What? No way...

I did a double-take, and noticed that Keith was, in fact, paying close attention to every word Crawford said. He leaned forward with his head in his hands, paying close attention to every question asked and Crawford's corresponding answer.

There was a fire in Keith's eyes that I just couldn't place.

Was it...passion?

"This stuff really interests you, doesn't it?" I whispered to Keith, bumping his arm with my elbow.

"Huh?" Keith picked his head up from his hands, then looked over at me. "Well, yeah. Of course. I do want to be a Ranger, after all-wait. Doesn't this interest you, too?" Keith raised an eyebrow at me, getting suspicious.

Oh crap. I forgot that I'm pretending to be a wannabee Ranger. "Uh, well yeah...duh." I quickly covered up my mistake. "I was just shocked that you were actually capable of paying attention to something."

Keith just scoffed, turning his head back to the Outdoor Class. "Wow. Thanks, Blue Eyes." He rolled his eyes at me sarcastically.

I just smiled, tuning back into the question and answer session. "Anytime, Prince Charming."

"Are you that guy who writes the Vientown Newspaper, the Vien Tribune?" A dark-haired boy from my class piped up, asking Crawford his question.

"Yeah! That's me!" Crawford pointed to himself, feeling pretty proud. "My favorite part of that is writing the jokes column!"

"Have you ever made any mistakes?" Keith abruptly asked his question, confidently leaning back and smirking a little.

Crawford just scoffed. "Why, of course I have! When I first started, that's all there was." Crawford began sharing his story. "This one time, I dumped juice on my Styler. And then this one time I accidentally mistook a Skitty Plushie for a real one and tried to capture it." Crawford started counting his mistakes off on his fingers. "And then there was that time I put my Ranger Uniform on over my pajamas..." Crawford's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately froze. "Wait... DON'T MAKE ME SAY THESE THINGS!" Crawford shouted in embarrassment, and his hands quickly flew up to his face.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Crawford, eager to get everyone to stop laughing at him, quickly scanned the crowd for another student to call on. He pointed a finger immediately at Rhythimi when he spotted her raised hand. "You! What's your question?"

Rhythimi nervously glanced down at the floor. "...do you think I have what it takes to be an Operator?"

...

"Umm..." Crawford paused, unsure how to respond to that. "Well, it's not like I'm just meeting you for the first time or anything, but-yeah! Sure! You'll make a great Operator!"

"That's great!" Rhythimi's face lit up with excitement. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear!"

Keith just rolled his eyes. "Aren't you mistaking the Ranger here for a fortune teller, Rhythimi?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Rhythimi shot Keith an annoyed glance, then dragged her finger across her throat as if to signal Keith she was going to slit his throat later. Keith just sweatdropped and slowly scooted away from Rhythimi and closer to me.

"Rena?" Ms. April looked over at me, tilting her head to the side. "You're the only one who hasn't asked a question yet. For participation points, everyone has to ask a question..." Ms. April trailed off, crossing her arms.

I just made an audible gulp. "D-do I have to...?"

I don't remember any of the questions I had written down previously! There was a reason that I had to write them down!

"Oh, I'm sure you must have SOMETHING to ask me!" Crawford flashed me a reassuring grin, probably trying to calm my nerves and make me feel more comfortable.

"Oh, uh..." I trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Remember what I said." Keith leaned in to whisper into my ear. "Ask a question that you have on your mind and you actually put thought into."

Ask a question that's on my mind...?

I immediately began combing through every corner of my mind as fast as I could, short on time to form a reply. I kept trying to think of something to ask, drawing blanks. Honestly, the only thing I can think of is why we even have the job of Pokemon Rangers in the first place. I don't really know much about law enforcement, since I've just always lived the life of a thief, so I don't even understand why someone would even consider...

Wait.

I... I've got it!

"Why did you become a Pokemon Ranger?"

Everyone stared at me in shock as I uttered those words. Their eyes darted back and forth between Crawford and I.

"I think that's the best question I've been asked all day." Crawford chuckled. "Well... Let's see." He mulled it over for a moment, but didn't take too long to think of how to respond. "Well, that's an easy one. There are people I want to protect in this world, and I don't want to just sit on the sidelines and let someone else do it. I want to be the one out there in the field doing everything I can to keep everyone I hold dear to me safe." Crawford smiled at me brightly, almost blinding me with how cheerful it was. "I became a Pokemon Ranger to protect everyone who can't afford to stand up for themselves, and I became a Pokemon Ranger to protect the Almia Region."

"YEAH!" All of the students cheered, punching their fists into the air.

I sat there with the most shocked look on my face ever. I... I never even thought of that.

I glanced over at Keith, noticing he was smiling at me. You know, I think I had him all wrong. When I first came here, I just assumed Keith wanted to be a Pokemon Ranger just to be a show off and so he could get a piece of the action. But, maybe... Maybe I was wrong? Maybe Keith wants to be a Pokemon Ranger for similar reasons to Crawford?

"Is that all?" Crawford looked around at the crowd of students. "No one has anymore questions?"

Before Crawford could even say one more thing, an abrupt ringing noise echoed throughout the square. I jumped at the sudden noise, only to have Keith laugh at me.

**-Voicemail! Voicemail!-**

Crawford pushed a button on his Styler that I had never seen before. This button wasn't equipped on my Styler. "Crawford here. What's up, Leader?" He spoke into the speaker, staring at the image on the screen.

Whoa. This must be the Ranger's way of communication...what was it called again? Voicemail?

_"Crawford, it's Barlow." _An unfamiliar, monotone voice poured out of the speaker on Crawford's Styler. _"Look, I hate to cut the Outdoor Class short, but we've got an emergency here and I need everyone I can get on this mission."_

Crawford's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh wow. Jheeze, what happened...?"

_"There's been a massive oil spill near Altru's Oil rig. You know, the one out way past the Puel Sea?"_ Barlow, the supposed Ranger Base Leader of Vientown, asked him. _"Well, hundreds of Pokemon covered in oil are washing up on Almia's shores. They're coughing up oil, and I need everyone I can get to help with damage control. We've got to clean up these Pokemon and get all of the oil out of their systems while Hastings and the Top Rangers help with the situation at the Oil Rig."_ Barlow finished his explanation.

"Arceus..." Crawford slapped his forehead. "Alright, I've got it. I'll be on my way now..."

_"There's no need." _Barlow interrupted. _"Luana and I are on our way to pick you up in a boat. We'll be there in a minute."_

All of the blood drained from Crawford's face, and he was as white as a sheet. "Please tell me you're the one driving the boat, Barlow..."

_"Of course I am!"_ Barlow gave a hearty laugh. _"You seriously think I'd let Toaster Killer drive this thing..._" A sudden shuffling noise cut off Barlow's words from his end of the line, and a sound of a struggle could be heard.

_"CRAWFORD YOU IDIOT!"_ A shrill, woman's voice screeched out of Crawford's Styler. _"I HEARD THAT!"_

_"OWW! LUANA! STOP HITTING ME!"_ Barlow cried out from his end of the Styler.

Crawford and all of us Ranger students just sweatdropped.

**BEEP BEEP!**

Suddenly, a speed boat pulled up to the pier in Ascension Square and honked its horn. A black-haired Ranger girl ran out onto the deck and immediately started screaming at Crawford.

"CRAWFORD!" Luana, Crawford's Partner, shrieked. She had a Buneary sitting on her shoulder. "GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Crawford cringed at her bellowing voice, drawing back into his skin a little. "...sorry guys, but it looks like I'll have to cut this class a little short."

Ms. April just waved him off. "Oh, it's fine. Don't worry. Duty calls." She pointed over at the boat. "And besides, your girlfriend is calling you." Ms. April smirked as Crawford's face reddened.

Crawford immediately started to defend himself. "She's not my..."

"CRAWFORD!"

Crawford immediately started running for the boat. "OK! OK! I'M COMING!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Almost everyone out here doubled over laughing at the hysterical display, and we all waved good-bye to the Rangers as they disappeared over the horizon. They left to take care of the Pokemon affected by the oil spill, and I was most likely to never see any of them ever again.

"Well, that was the shortest class ever." Ms. April sighed. "But, I think it was definitely the most entertaining!" She turned to face all of us. "Come on, students. Let's all file back inside now."

We all stood up from the ground with a groan, knowing fully well we'd probably have to do book work for the rest of the day. The Pokemon led the way back up the stairs, and us students and the teachers all followed.

I walked into this Outdoor Class not giving a damn about Rangers and what they stood for.

And I left with just a little bit of respect for them.

* * *

**And my last up-to-date chapter. I'm trying to update once every other week, but it all depends on how demanding my job and homework are of my time. Sorry :/ but it's not like I'm going to just not update this for three months. No way. Since I entered this book in a contest on wattpad, it has to be done by October 31st. Wish me luck!**

**Read, review, and enjoy the story!**


	13. Chapter 13: Blackened Glory

**(Rena's POV)**

I sat there at my desk, just staring at the front where Ms. April was standing. "What...? How is this even relevant to our curriculum?" I shot Ms. April a weird look in response to her announcement.

Ms. April just let out a light laugh. "Well, Rena, if you must know..." She redirected her attention to the entire class. "You all have been working so hard lately, and you look like you could use a break for a day..."

"WOOHOO!" Everyone immediately shot up from their desks and applauded Ms. April, making our auburn-haired teacher laugh.

"Settle down, class! Settle down!" Ms. April laughed through her order, getting everyone to sit back down again. "Mr. Kincaid and I have both agreed that our classes are in need of a long-overdue break from our typical curriculum, so we've joined forces for today to create a lesson plan for both classes to do together." Ms. April looked directly at me as she said this. "Today, I've decided to give you all a quick life lesson that will be of use to you in the future: how to cook."

What.

I just stared blankly at Ms. April while everyone else seemed completely for this idea.

Do we have to...?

I would so much rather learn Ranger Basics all over again or do another obstacle course in Gym class...

I shot Mightyena a nervous look, and it would appear that we were sharing the same thoughts. "Should we just go along with this...?" I whispered to him. Mightyena glanced at Ms. April, then back at me before nodding his head. I let out a deep sigh. "Fine..."

"Now, everyone, I'd like you all to come up to the front of the class one by one and draw a name from this hat." Ms. April held a rather large hat in her hand that was filled with slips of paper. "Whoever's name you draw from this hat will be your partner in the foods lab, and they just so happen to all be members of Mr. Kincaid's class."

One by one, students stood from their desks and stepped over to Ms. April and drew names from the hat. Reluctantly, I stood up and got in line with Keith and Rhythimi. I was in front of them in the line, and it soon became my turn to draw a name from the hat. I reached in and grabbed a slip of paper, then went to join the crowd of students standing by the door. Mightyena took a seat next to my legs, looking at all of the family Pokemon around him with a watchful eye.

"Who did you get?"

"Me? Oh, cool! I got Nikki!"

"I got Ponte."

"I got Bethany."

"Aww man... I'm stuck with Tyler."

"Hahahah!"

"Woohoo! I'm the luckiest girl alive! I got Kim Daley!"

"Who did you get, Rena?" A tall, black-haired guy that I knew as Tim asked me the question. He was a Mechanic-in-training.

"Umm..." I opened my slip of paper, then read the name printed on it. "Isaac Gram Bell."

What the? Who is that?

"Oh, you're lucky!" Tim grinned. "You got partnered with your friend Isaac!"

What...?

My look of shock was clearly written across my face. Isaac's last name is Gram Bell...?

Tim seemed to notice my look of surprise. "...you didn't know he was a Gram Bell, did you?" He raised an eyebrow at me, then laughed a little at my easy-to-read expression.

"No... I can't say that I did." I sweatdropped. "He never mentioned it." I sadly stared down at the floor, runnin my left arm comfortingly.

Tim just drew his head back in shock. "Really? How could he fail to tell you that he's Nathan Gram Bell's son? The Gram Bell's own only about 86% of the world's Power Plants! They use electricity for power, which is why he's the biggest competitor for Altru Oil. The only reason Altru hasn't been put out of business is because they're developing some new dream energy power source. " He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Anyways, enough of that. I seriously thought you knew, since you're both friends with Isaac and Keith."

Keith?

My face twisted into the most confused look ever. "Keith? What does Keith have to do with Isaac?" I put my hands on my hips, staring right at Tim.

Tim just blinked. "Wow. You really don't know, do you...?" Tim stared directly at me.

The sound of my patience bubble bursting was louder than an atomic bomb. "What don't I know?!" I started to get really frustrated, glaring at Tim.

So not only is Keith withholding information from me, but Isaac is too? UGH! I feel as if Rhythimi here is the only honest one around me!

Tim sweatdropped. "Calm down... Joseph Dazzle and Nathan Gram Bell are business partners. Joseph makes the inventions, like the Styler, and Nathan supplies the power and energy. They're both like rich billionaires that literally live next door to each other in Pueltown..." He explained to me, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Oh." My mouth opened wide enough to form an 'O' shape, which would've been considered amusing by Keith if he had seen it.

Wow. So I guess Isaac, Keith, and Rhythimi have all known each other since childhood through their families, huh...? Why wasn't I informed of this before?! Ugh... Looks like I'll be calling Ice later. Again.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING?!"

My hands quickly flew up to my ears at the sound of the deafening shriek. OW! What the hell?!

I quickly turned around from Tim and glanced at the commotion going on in front of the classroom. Rhythimi and Keith were both talking over each other very loudly, trying to force their point across at Ms. April.

"What do you mean there are no more left?!" Rhythimi flailed her arms up and down.

"This can't be right!" Keith's face reddened with anger, glaring at Rhythimi with a sideways glance.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like Mr. Kincaid's class is two students smaller than ours..." Ms. April sweatdropped. "Like I said before, you two will just have to be partnered up..."

"NO WAY! NOT HAPPENING!"

"OH COME ON!"

I couldn't help but snicker at both the blonde and red-head. Those two are partnered up? HAH! This can only go nothing but wrong. I fully expect disaster to unfold.

Rhythimi came stomping down the aisle of desks and stood next to me, huffing greatly and crossing her arms. "Humph. I got stuck with your stupid boyfriend."

I felt a little irritated at the remark, and I glared at her. "Rhythimi, how many times do I have to tell you-"

"You don't like Keith, I know." Rhythimi rolled her eyes, mocking me with a silly voice. "It's not like you've said it a million times." I opened my mouth to say something sassy back, but Rhythimi quickly cut me off by changing the subject. "So who did you get stuck with?"

My annoyed face quickly melted away, and I just snickered. "Your boyfriend."

Rhythimi's cheeks immediately flushed a dark shade of red, and she punched me in the arm for my joke. "Isaac is NOT my boyfriend!"

"Yet." I rolled my eyes, smirking at her and crossing my arms. I guess you could say I've grown to be a little less awkward with the idea that people actually can like each other more than friends. But just a little, though.

Rhythimi's eye twitched. "And don't you DARE tell him anything about my secret today during the lab, ok?! You've officially been sworn to secrecy!" She put her hands on her hips, staring right at me.

"Ok, ok..." I laughed, putting my hands up in defense.

Rhythimi looked at me with a skeptical expression, getting all up in my face from the side. "Promise!"

"Ok, I promise!" I was laughing really hard at this point, unable to conceal my amusement with Rhythimi.

"Let's go, class!" Ms. April commanded all attention from everyone, successfully getting the classroom chatter to dissipate. "Let's head over to the cooking lab by the cafeteria!"

Rhythimi remained right next to my face for the longest time, just holding her stare. Then, it melted away and she happily skipped over towards the door. "Ok then!"

I just laughed quietly to myself as all of us students began filing out of the door. I was the last one to leave the classroom, and before I stepped through the door, I shot Mightyena a worried look.

This should be interesting.

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

Mr. Kincaid impatiently paced back and forth in front of the foods lab. "Where is Ms. April?! She was supposed to be here five minutes ago..."

**WHOOSH!**

"Sorry we're a little late!" Ms. April pushed open the door, stepping into the classroom with the crowd of her students standing right behind her. "We can go ahead and get started now."

"Finally." Mr. Kincaid relaxed his furrowed brow, bitterly spitting out his words. "It's not like I want to be doing this, anyways..." He massaged his temples, grumbling that last part to himself.

The foods lab was rather large, and it had ten miniature kitchens built along the walls. Each one was equipped with cooking utensils, an oven, a stovetop, a microwave, and various ingredients lined up on the counter accompanied by a recipe of some sort. Each one had a different recipe and a different set of ingredients.

"Alright, class." Ms. April stepped out of the way and allowed her class to file in. "Find your partners and we'll assign you to your kitchens!"

The students from Ms. April's class rested their eyes on Mr. Kincaid's students lined up horizontally across the room. Amongst them were a few familiar faces to Rena, such as Isaac, Ponte, and Kim. She wasn't exactly too keen with seeing Kim's face.

"Bethany!" One of the girls from Ms. April's class quickly ran up to her friend and glomped her, breaking the silence of the room.

One by one, each student walked up to their parter, whether they were happy with them or not.

Rena strided over to Isaac, waving her slip of paper with his name written on it in front of his face. "Hey, smartie." She smiled, lightly poking Isaac's shoulder with her fingertip. "You're stuck with me."

Isaac sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness it's just you... I was worried I would be stuck with someone else less tolerable." He ran a hand through his puffy mushroom hair.

Rena and Isaac shared a laugh as Ms. April commanded all attention from everyone in the room.

"Alright, everyone! I see that you all have your partners now!" Ms. April clapped her hands together, staring out at the large crowd of paired students. "Now, here's what we're going to do. Each of your groups have been assigned a kitchen number, which is printed on the back of your name slip. You'll all be cooking/baking something different, and you'll each be making the recipe. Your partner can help you if you get stuck, but regardless, you'll all be graded individually on what you made specifically."

Most of the students groaned, not too keen with the idea of having to each make something mostly on their own.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mr. Kincaid stood beside Ms. April, snapping at the students and waving them off. "Go get started!"

The students all flooded into their assigned kitchens and quickly got to work. One kitchen was assigned pancakes, another got stir fry, and another group got to make cupcakes. But Isaac and Rena were assigned...

"...peanut butter fudge?" Rena stared curiously at the words printed across the top of their recipe, just amazed at what they were assigned.

Isaac glanced at the recipe, speed reading the whole thing. "I'm not really much of a cook, but this seems easy enough..."

Rena gulped nervously. "Yeah...sure."

She would NEVER admit to this, considering the fact that it's her weakness, but...

Rena can't cook.

Rena and Mightyena lived in an old apartment in Castelia City, and they would always grab takeout or frozen dinners to live off of. Rena never learned how to cook, because her Dad was the one who always did it. But now that she was living on her own, Rena couldn't cook for herself. She never learned, and every time she tried, her ending product ALWAYS ended up a blackend and charred hot mess.

"Rena...?" Isaac shot her a worried glance. "You ok?"

Rena, who was completely spacing out and staring at the ingredients on the counter top, shook her head to snap out of it. "Huh? O-oh...yeah. I'm fine." She lied, sheepishly scratching at the back of her head.

"Oh-kay..." Isaac sweatdropped, then just shrugged his shoulders to let it slide. "If you say so. Anyways, we should probably get started." Isaac immediately reached for the peanut butter, grabbing a measuring cup. Despite his intense focus, Rena noticed that Isaac had something on his mind that he wasn't saying.

She decided to let it go for now, turning back to the recipe. "Yeeeeaaahhh..." Rena reluctantly started reading over the recipe again, trying to figure out what to do first.

"Psst, Rena!"

Rena jolted with surprise at the sound of someone calling her name, and she looked up from the recipe at the person standing two feet in front of her at the kitchen right next to hers.

Rhythimi.

Rhythimi and Keith were in te kitchen right next to Rena and Isaac, starting to make their assigned recipe: cupcakes.

"Hey!" Rhythimi grinned, waving to her. "We got assigned cupcakes. How about you guys?" She asked, shooting Isaac a nervous glance.

"Peanut butter fudge for us." Isaac smiled at her, waving a friendly hello.

Rena tuned out the rest of Isaac and Rhythimi's conversation, glancing over at the bored Keith standing in front of her. "Is it just me, or is this whole thing really stupid."

Keith irritably sighed. "It's not just you..."

Rena and Keith shared a laugh, then got back to work when Mr. Kincaid walked by and scolded them for talking to people outside of their groups.

Rena read the first step of the recipe, which was to combine two sticks of butter and one cup of peanut butter in a microwave bowl. She picked up the sticks of butter and placed them in the bowl, and dumped a big scoop of peanut butter in there that she assumed to be about one cup.

"Rena, what are you doing?" Isaac scolded her, stopping what he was doing and walking over to her mixing bowl. "First, you're supposed to remove the waxed paper that's around the butter..." Rena sweatdropped as she watched Isaac carefully lift the still wrapped sticks of butter out of her bowl and onto a cutting board. "And second, the recipe said to cut the butter into pieces."

"...oh." Rena slumped her shoulders a little. "I knew that."

Keith, who saw the whole interaction, did the same thing as Rena's Mightyena and started laughing at her. "Wow, Blue Eyes. I'm surprised that you're that stupid. Even I knew you were supposed to do that."

A vein bulged from Rena's forehead as her face reddened with anger. "Oh shut up! And besides, I'm not the one flicking cake batter everywhere!"

Keith stopped sassing Rena long enough to look down at the bowl of cake mix he was currently beating with an electric mixer, noticing that the batter was being flicked everywhere because he was going too fast. "Oh shit...!"

Rena laughed at Keith's misfortune and quickly got back to work. After removing the wrappers and slicing the butter into pieces, she set it into the bowl. She picked up her mixing bowl and set it in the microwave, beginning to microwave it for three minutes.

Isaac turned around to check up on Rena, then gasped and stopped the microwave. "Oh, wait! You can't microwave it for that long without stirring it, otherwise it will burn."

Rena just groaned. "Are you kidding me?!"

Mightyena just snickered, and Rena lightly kicked him with the side of her leg to get him to shut up. Despite her attempts, he kept laughing.

Isaac just sighed, then turned back to his mixing bowl. He was a few steps ahead of Rena. "Try microwaving it for a minute at a time, stirring it in between each minute."

"Ok..." Rena grumbled, hating to have to take orders from Isaac. Well, she just hated having to listen to someone in general.

She only slightly burned the butter mixture, but Rena was almost certain this would NOT taste good. Hey, she'd be lucky if she just could prevent it from catching on fire, even though this recipe didn't require use of the stovetop or the oven. She'd find a way to set it on fire accidentally. Somehow.

"Okay... Umm?" Rena took the bowl out of the microwave and stirred it one last time, then set it on the counter. "Now what do I do...?"

"Having trouble, Blue Eyes?"

Rena's eyes darted from her mixing bowl up to Keith's red eyes that were staring right at her. "NO! Go make your stupid cupcakes already!"

Keith laughed, amused by her frustration and irritable mood. "Alright, alright!"

"Stupid freaking idiot..." Rena started grumbling incoherent curses to herself, working on making the fudge simultaneously.

Next step: fold in one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

How much is a teaspoon again?

Rena started to panic a little while looking at all of the different spoons layed out on the countertop. Which one was the teaspoon? She wasn't sure, so she just grabbed the one she assumed looked most like it.

After stirring in the extract and flicking almost all of the batter everywhere, Rena followed the next step and started dumping the cups of powdered sugar into her bowl.

Isaac shot Rena a worried glance. "Rena..."

Rena cut him off by holding a finger up to his face. "If you tell me I fucked up one more time, I swear..."

Isaac just sweatdropped as he stared at Rena. "I was just going to tell you that you're supposed to sift the powdered sugar and then gradually add it to the bowl..."

Rena looked down at her gigantic mess, then over at Isaac's tidy counter and his mixing bowl that wasn't messy and actually looked edible.

"Oh..." Rena awkwardly coughed, avoiding eye contact and just locking her gaze with the mixing bowl. "...I knew that."

Isaac just lightly chuckled and shook his head as Rena got back to work. Mightyena, Buizel, and Eevee all got bored pretty quickly, so they all left to go play somewhere else in the school building. And yes, Eevee was actually awake and conscious!

"Hey, Rena?" Isaac nudged Rena's elbow, trying to get her attention. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Rena stopped what she was doing and immediately turned to Isaac. "Sure. What's up?"

Isaac nervously shuffled, shooting Rhythimi in the next kitchen over a nervous glance. "Umm...you see...I...I-I um..."

Rena's sharp sigh cut off Isaac right in the middle of his sentence. She was annoyed that he was taking forever to get to the point. "You like Rhythimi and you're not sure what to do, am I right?"

Isaac was completely shocked, blinking furiously. "How did you know?"

"Well..." Rena turned her head back to her mixing bowl, getting an intense feeling of déjà vu. Wasn't she literally just doing this with Rhythimi? "I guess you could say I've sorta developed a sense for this sort of thing recently."

Isaac nodded his head, turning back to his bowl as well. "Oh, ok."

"We'll talk later." Rena told Isaac, grabbing her rubber spatula once again. "We'll discuss your options tonight around 9pm, right after curfew. Alright? I'll meet you at your dorm."

"Ok!" Isaac grinned at her brightly. "Thanks, Rena! Oh, and you have to promise me you won't tell her." Isaac set his hand on her shoulder. "It will be our secret, ok?"

Rena's eye twitched in annoyance. So both Rhythimi AND Isaac like each other, refuse to confess, and they BOTH confided in Rena and made her promise not to tell the other?

Rena choked back the urge to whack Isaac upside the head for being so dense. "Oh-kay... I promise."

Isaac and Rena turned back around from each other and got right back to making their fudge. Rena struggled to mix in all of the powdered sugar at once while she blocked out Keith and Rhythimi's typical arguments.

"You're supposed to preheat the oven to 350°F!"

"No, it's 325°F!"

"350!"

"325!"

"350!"

"325!"

"...oh. It actually is 350°F."

"HAH! IN YOUR FACE, KEITH! I TOLD YOU SO!"

"SHUT UP, BLONDIE! NO ONE CARES!"

"NUH UH!"

"UH HUH!"

Rena just completely tuned them out as she FINALLY mixed in the last bit of powdered sugar. She was really hoping the dough was supposed to be this crumbly and this color...

"Hey, Isaac?" Rena raised her voice to be heard over Rhythimi and Keith's bickering. "Does this look right to you?"

Isaac finished pressing his fudge into his baking ban, then walked over to Rena as she finished pressing hers into her baking pan with waxed paper. "Umm, Rena? Why is it...green?"

Rena just sweatdropped as she looked down at her very flaky, green fudge dough. "Umm...I'm not actually sure."

Keith and Rhythimi stopped arguing long enough to peek over the countertop at Rena's 'masterpiece.'

"Aww, Rena!" Rhythimi mothered her, patting her on the head, much to Rena's annoyance. "You're so cute! You can do everything imaginable, except you can't cook to save your life!"

Rena just furrowed her brow in annoyance. "Oh yeah?! Well what did YOU make!?" She crossed her arms in a huff, already in a bad mood.

Rhythimi picked up her plate with six finished and beautifully decorated cupcakes on it, setting it on the counter that separated their two kitchens to show her. "Tah dah! This is how ours turned out!"

Rena blinked back her surprise. "Wow. Those actually turned out pretty good."

"Wow, Rhythimi..." Isaac stood there in shock, staring at the cupcakes in awe. "I didn't realize you were such a good cake decorator."

"Me?" Rhythimi pointed to herself, then scoffed. "Oh, no. I didn't decorate these! I just baked them." She pointed her finger back behind her at Keith, who was currently holding a frosting bag. "Keith is the one who decorated them!"

At the mention of his name, Keith stopped cleaning out his frosting bag and looked over at Rena awkwardly. Both teens just sweatdropped.

"It's not what it looks like!" Keith quickly got on the defensive, completely embarrassed. "It's just...I-I used to hang out with the cooks in our kitchens back at home, and I would watch them do all this stuff...and..." Keith started to ramble and trail off, then he noticed Rena's green fudge. "Hey, wasn't that supposed to be like a light brown color...?"

Rena's eye twitched as she looked over at Rhythimi. "Rhythimi, can I borrow one of your cupcakes?"

Rhythimi grinned sinisterly, handing her one. "Be my guest!"

Keith sweatdropped as Rena drew her arm back, getting ready to throw it. "Oh no..."

**SPLAT!**

"EW! I HAVE FROSTING ALL OVER ME NOW...oh wait, this is actually pretty good. Never mind! I'm fine here!"

Rhythimi stopped laughing long enough to sweatdrop. "Umm...Rena? ...your fudge is on fire."

Rena stopped her laughter just in time to see her pan of fudge suddenly burst into flames. "WHAT THE FUCK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

* * *

**Well, this update is very long overdue XD... Sorry this took so long! Well, at least it's here now, right? Right!**

**Anyways, that's all! I hope you enjoyed this filler chapter!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	14. Chapter 14: Opening Up

**(Rena's POV)**

...where's my mark?

I looked around the classroom for what must've been the thousandth time for Keith, but he wasn't in sight. What in the world...? Where is he?

"Hey, Rhythimi..." I leaned into the aisle, getting closer to Rhythimi's desk. "Have you seen Keith?"

Rhythimi continued to read her history textbook, not bothering to look up at me as she spoke. "Rena, it's Study Hall. He's probably just napping in the Library like he always is." She smirked, shooting me a sideways glace. "Why? You worried about him?"

I immediately balled up the sheet of paper on my desk and chucked it at Rhythimi's head, making her laugh. "Oh shut it." I stood up when I noticed Mightyena walk back into the classroom, and he was ushering me to follow him. "I'll...be right back."

Once I stepped outside the classroom door, Mightyena quietly barked and started trotting in the direction of the Library. I had asked him at the beginning of the study hall period to go check the rest of the campus for Keith, since I need to keep tabs on him at all times. I guess Mightyena found him.

I followed my Dark-type partner into the Library, and he pointed back at the table furthest in the back of the Library with his right paw.

"Thanks, boy." I reached down to pet his head affectionately. "You can go back to playing with Eevee now."

Mightyena excitedly wagged his tail, then took off bounding out of the Library and in the direction of Ms. April's classroom once again.

I quietly walked by all of the other students studying in the Library, making my way down to the very back of the Library. As I approached the back table, the sound of snoring became louder and louder. When I rounded the corner around the final book case, I found myself standing at the back table and staring down at a sleeping Keith.

He was snoring soundly with his head on a pillow set on the table that I guess he brought with him. Who brings their own pillow to the Library...? Ugh. No wonder his grades suck.

Suddenly, I noticed something.

Was Keith...twitching?

Keith was twitching in his sleep, mumbling a few words. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but his twitching grew more and more violent by the second. By the time he was jerking side to side in his sleep, I recognized he was having a nightmare.

Without even thinking, I quickly reacted on instinct. "Shhh..." I quickly patted his shoulder, and his twitching began to subside. "Hey, Keith? Keith, wake up."

"Ugh... Five more minutes, Mom..." Keith grumbled in his sleep, rolling away from me.

I just rolled my eyes. "I'm not your Mom, Keith. Now wake up!"

Keith suddenly jolted in his sleep, and I had a feeling his eyes snapped wide open. Keith immediately sat up straight and turned to look at me, sweatdropping a little. "O-oh! Uh...hey Rena... Eheh..."

I just rolled my eyes, then pulled up a chair next to him. "You were having a nightmare, so I woke you up."

"You're telling me..." He exhaled sharply, rubbing at his eyes. Keith dragged his hands down his face. "It was just that same reoccurring nightmare about my Mom..."

"What reoccurring nightmare?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Is he finally going to tell me himself about what happened to his Mom?

"Oh." Keith cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter. "Well, I guess it's about time I told you..." He turned to face me, staring into my eyes sincerely. "My Mom died in a car crash when I was ten years old. She was getting ready to leave for a charity event for raising money to send kids to Ranger School that couldn't afford it." Keith's eyes grew dark, and I could tell he was bottling up his resentment. "I had a feeling that morning that Mom wouldn't come back home that night, but I kept it to myself, thinking it was nothing. Later that night I found out she died in a car crash." Keith stared down at the table. "I've blamed myself for her death ever since. That's basically what my nightmare was about..." He grew quiet and balled up his fists tightly, refusing to say a word.

I gritted my teeth, trying to force out sympathy. "Oh. I'm...sorry for your loss." I awkwardly gave my condolences.

"It's fine." Keith sat back up, staring at a book shelf a ways in front of us. "Dad grew really distant after she died. He didn't use to be such a bad guy. In order to cope with his grief, he just drowned himself in his work, inevitably neglecting me. The maid staff pretty much had to raise me from there on out." Keith explained. He hesitated, then turned to me after having what looked like an internal battle with himself. "What was your home life like? You know, with your parents?"

My sympathetic facade shattered like a mirror being dropped from a ten story building, and my eyes widened in horror. I immediately backed out of my chair and away from the table, completely caught off guard by his question.

Keith shot up from his chair and started to walk towards me. "Hey, wait! Where are you going?"

Without being able to control my desire to run away, my legs immediately began sprinting and heading towards the Library door.

I could hear Keith say somethig out loud as I ran away from him. "...was it something I said?"

I shoved the Library door open and quickly closed it behind me, slamming my back against it. I slowly slid down the door, choking back my sadness.

Arceus, I'm an idiot. I should've been able to keep my composure! Why did he have to catch me off guard like that and make me run away?!

Without being able to help myself, my eyes slowly looked down at my Mother's bracelet that was equipped to my left wrist. I've worn it ever since Rhythimi gave me the confidence to.

I ran my fingers along the beautiful blue beads. "Mother... Who are you?"

* * *

**~Flashback Sequence~**

_"Happy birthday, Rena!"_

_The four nannies all clapped their hands and smiled at me, handing me a poorly made cupcake on a plate with a lit candle on it. I glanced around at the walls of the orphanage, ignoring how dark and dusty everything was. I was grateful that despite how poor we all were, they all tried their best to give me a nice birthday celebration. _

_"Thanks, everyone..." I weakly smiled at them._

_"Well?" Nanny Anna ushered me to blow out the candle. "You're nine years old now, so make a wish!"_

_I shut my eyes tightly, wishing to get out of this orphanage once and for all. I wished with all my might that someone would adopt me._

_I snapped my eyes open, then harshly blew out the candle. _

_The four nannies all clapped and cheered, hugging me simultaneously. _

_"Happy birthday, sweetie!"_

_"Nine? But I could've sworn just yesterday you were just eight years old!"_

_"I hope your wish comes true!"_

_Nanny Marie pulled a small wrapped present out from behind her, handing it to me. "Here. We thought that we would give this to you for your birthday, since you're old enough."_

_"Come, girls." Nanny Anna ushered the other three nannies to follow her. "Let's leave her in private to open it."_

_Nanny Tallie patted me on the head. "When you're finished opening that, come downstairs to celebrate your birthday with all of the other little girls and us Nannies!"_

_"Ok." I forced out a fake smile, watching Nanny Tallie and the others walk away from me and down the stairs. _

_As soon as they were out of sight, I ripped open the small box and lifted the lid. A beautiful silver bracelet with blue stones rested inside of it, and it was sitting atop of what looked like an old, folded up letter. I plucked the letter out of the box, unfolding it and beginning to read it out loud._

_"To whom this may concern..." I started reading the old letter out loud. "This little girl on the porch here is Rena Arisa Deveraux. I can't take care of her anymore, so I hope that you all can. Inside this envelope is a silver bracelet with blue stones that belonged to her Mother. Please give it to her when she's old enough. Her birthday is January 8th. She deserves a better life than the one I can currently give her, so I hope that you all can do so much better for her."_

_I finished reading the letter, then grew very, very sad. ...No one signed it? _

_I stared down at the bracelet that supposedly belonged to my Mother, and a tear slipped from my eye and splashed onto the metal. I quickly shoved the letter back in there and closed the box, shoving it under my pillow. _

_I wiped the tears from my eyes and ran for the stairs leading downstairs, not once looking back. _

_I guess this feeling of being abandoned at a very young age will just always come back to haunt me, no matter what age I am._

_"Rena! Where are you?"_

_"I'm coming!"_

* * *

**2 updates in a day ^-^ I'm catching up, since I fell so far behind. Sorry this chapter was such a short little blurb, but it had to be done. **

**Guess what? No more fillers! The next chapter starts going straight into the plot once again! The next two chapters are an event from the game that I rewrote to fit the plot of this book, so I'm excited to see what you guys think of the changes I made :3 well, those of you who played the game, at least. **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	15. Chapter 15: Desperate Measures

**(Rena's POV)**

I laughed and shoved Keith to the ground in Ascension Square. "You idiot! That's not what I meant at all...AH!" Keith grabbed my arm as he fell down and pulled me down with him, and I landed hard on the ground right next to him. "Ow..."

"Gotcha!" Keith laughed alongside me, and our laughter filled all of Ascension Square and the School Yard. "And I know, but I just had to mess with you!"

I just rolled my eyes. "You jerk! You're always trying to mess...with...me..." I slowly stopped talking as I felt a shadow being cast over us.

I held my hand up over my eyes to block out the glare from the sun, and who did I see standing over both Keith and I?

Kim, of course.

"Oh." Kim smiled devilishly. "There you are, Keith." She tore her hateful gaze away from me and smiled innocently at Keith. "I was just about to go to the Training Gym and practice some captures, and I was just wondering if you wanted to come with."

I just rolled my eyes, sitting up from the ground. "Kim, I thought you were training to be an Operator. Why would you need to practice captures?"

Kim shot me a hateful gaze in order to get me to shut up, then continued to bat her eyelashes at Keith.

"Nah, I'm good." Keith yawed, placing his hands behind his head. "Besides, I'm kinda busy hanging out with Rena right now."

Kim's eye twitched, and she gritted her teeth so hard I could've sworn they were seconds away from breaking. "O-oh...I see how it is. Fine then." She turned on her heel and stormed off, huffing the whole way.

I just shot her a weird look as she walked away. "What's her problem?"

Keith sat up from the grass, then shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know, don't care."

* * *

I'm late I'm late I'm late I'm late!

I quickly ran past everyone in the hallways, trying to make it to Ms. April's classroom on time. I BARELY made it through the door before the bell rang.

**DING DONG! DING DONG!**

Phew...

I collapsed into my desk chair, getting weird looks from everyone in the classroom. Typically I don't run very late, but I had to stop by the Teacher's Lounge to grab a stack of papers Ms. April asked me to get for her. When I was in there I ran into Kim, and we got into an argument, and that's why I was running late.

Ms. April walked up to my desk and grabbed the stack of papers I had retrieved for her, sweatdropping at me. "Thanks for getting that, but I'm sorry I almost made you run late..."

"It's...fine..." I panted, trying to catch my breath.

Keith snickered at me for almost being late. Without tearing my eyes away from the front of the classroom, I kicked him really hard from under our desks.

"OWW!"

Ms. April just sweatdropped, then awkwardly began her lesson. "Anyways... Today we will be going over a new topic: Poke Assists."

As I reached down to pet Mightyena, I could hear a small commotion coming from outside the classroom. We were all back inside now, and Ms. April was in the midst of giving her lecture on Poke Assists. Oh, who knows. It's probably nothing.

"Now, class." Ms. April addressed us all. "For those of you who have family Pokemon with you, I'd like you to send them on up to the front of the classroom for a demonstration.

I gave Mightyena my nod of approval, and he soon joined Buizel and the other Pokemon at the front of the classroom.

Ms. April pointed down at Buizel, who was standing next to her feet. "Now, since Keith's Buizel is a Water-type, his Poke Assist is..."

Suddenly, I was distracted from Ms. April's lecture by a note that was quickly passed onto my desk. I looked over at Keith, who was grinning at me brightly. I just rolled my eyes and unfolded the note, reading it to myself.

_"Hey, wanna hang out later? I need someone to help me procrastinate studying for that test on Friday."_

I just rolled my eyes, shaking my head a little. I tore off the corner of my notes and scribbled my answer onto it, which was, _"sure, why not,"_ and I passed it over to Keith.

Keith read the note to himself, then smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

The whole class jolted with surprise, nearly leaping out of their desks at the sound of Mr. Kincaid's booming voice. We all froze in place, then listened to the sound of him stomping towards our classroom.

**WHOOSH!**

Mr. Kincaid shoved the door open and stormed into the classroom with Kim by his side.

"Mr. Kincaid!" Ms. April yelled with surprise, a little annoyed that he interrupted her lecture. "What on earth is the matter?!"

Mr. Kincaid narrowed his eyes at all of the students in the room. "The school's entire supply of School Styler's has gone missing, and I have an eye witness saying that one of your students took them from the Teacher's Lounge!"

The entire class gasped with surprise, and they all shot each other nervous glances.

"Mr. Kincaid!" Ms. April's face reddened with anger, and she stepped up to the ridiculous teacher. "How dare you accuse one of my students of such a thing without proof!"

"Ms. April, we do have proof." Mr. Kincaid stiffened his posture, then placed his hand on Kim's shoulder. "Kim, can you tell us which of Ms. April's students you saw taking the Styler's from the Teacher's Lounge?"

"Absolutely." Kim sneered, stepping up a little. I grew nervous as she approached my desk, and I gulped when she pointed at me. "It was Rena."

The entire class inhaled sharply, staring at me with the most shocked look ever. They all began whispering to one another, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Wait what?" Mr. Kincaid blinked back his surprise, staring at Kim. "Umm...are you sure it was her?" He awkwardly cleared his throat, acting way out of character.

"Yes." Kim menacingly leaned closer to me, shooting me a soul-piercing gaze. "I'm positive."

"What?!" My face reddened with anger, and I shot up from my desk. "That's ridiculous! I don't have any idea what she's talking about!" I defended myself, standing tall.

"Yeah!" Rhythimi stood up, walking over and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "Rena may be a trouble maker, but she's no thief!

I just sweatdropped at how ironic what Rhythimi just said was.

"She didn't do it."

I flinched at the sound of his voice, and I turned to face Keith.

Keith stepped up to me and wrapped my hand in his behind our backs so no one else could see us holding hands. I just let it slide for now.

"I'm telling you, she didn't do it." Keith repeated what he said once again, looking down at me. "She's one of us, and she'd never stoop to something so low. Kim has to be lying." He glared over at Kim, tightening his grip on my hand.

"What!?" Kim raised her voice, then quickly calmed down. "I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth! I witnessed Rena lugging a huge bag of the Stylers out of the Teacher's Lounge and heading up to the dorm rooms!"

I dropped my jaw at how painfully obvious that lie was. "What?! No! That's a lie! I never stole the Stylers!"

"Miss Daley..." Mr. Kincaid lowered his voice to Kim warily. "You do realize what exactly you are accusing Miss Deveraux of, correct? The school's supply of Stylers is worth about 200,000 poke dollars, and the theft of them is a major felony..." Mr. Kincaid nervously ran a hand through his hair. "If she's proved guilty, not only will she be facing expulsion, but also a few years in prison..."

My eyes just widened in horror. Expulsion? Prison?! No! That can't happen! I'm in the middle of a job! If I'm expelled and sent to prison, not only do I fail the job and not get payed, but my fingerprints will be run through the criminal database and my true identity as Raux will be revealed!

"Yes." Kim grinned evilly at me. "I know exactly what I'm accusing her of."

"You liar!" I lunged for her throat, only to be restrained by Keith and Rhythimi.

Ms. April stepped forward and began defending me on my behalf. "Mr. Kincaid, surely you don't believe Rena is responsible. She's a model student, despite her reckless nature."

Oh wow. Thanks Ms. April.

"I know..." Mr. Kincaid seemed conflicted. "...but we have to face the facts." He glanced at me, then looked at Ms. April once again. "Did she or did she not, in fact, run late to class today?"

Ms. April hesitated. "Well, she almost did, but that's only because I asked her to get something for me from the...Teacher's...Lounge..." Ms. April slowed down her explanation as she came to a realization, then nervously glanced back at me. "Surely it's just a coincidence, Mr. Kincaid..."

Mr. Kincaid sighed heavily. "I'm afraid that we have no choice but to believe Miss Daley's testimony until the authorities arrive to question Rena."

I nearly choked on air from my surprise. "You called the cops on me?!"

Mr. Kincaid looked at me regretfully. "I had no choice. A crime has been committed, and a pretty serious one at that. As the prime suspect in the case, you will be taken into custody for questioning. However, since you are just barely a minor, I managed to convince them to keep you on campus for questioning."

I tried to jerk out of Keith and Rhythimi's grip, completely enraged. "This is ridiculous!"

"But Mr. Kincaid, Rena's innocent!" Rhythimi pleaded him, still holding onto me. "I promise you, she's innocent! Kim's lying!"

"No I'm not." Kim smiled innocently, stepping over to Keith. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Maybe you'd like to talk to me about it later?"

Keith jerked away from Kim as two Police Officers stepped inside the classroom. "No. I'd rather not."

Kim hid her annoyance pretty well when Keith jerked himself out of her grasp, and I couldn't help but smile slightly at that.

"Is that her?" One of the cops pointed to me, asking Mr. Kincaid the question.

Mr. Kincaid hesitated, very reluctant. "...yes, I'm afraid so."

"Rena Deveraux, you're being taken into questioning in regards to the missing lot of School Stylers." The second cop stepped up to me and turned me around, slapping handcuffs on my wrists. "You're now being taken into custody."

"NO!" I yelled, trying to jerk out of his grip. Mightyena started barking at the Police Officers trying to drag me out of the classroom. "I'M INNOCENT! I DIDN'T DO IT!" I thrashed in the Officer's grip, trying to break free.

"Stay still!" One of the Officers holding onto my arms commanded.

"Let her go!" Keith pushed his way through the crowd of students, trying to get to me.

"Keith!" I called out to him, actually afraid for my life at present. "Help! I'm being set up!" I barely got to finish my sentence before the cops got me to the classroom door.

"Don't worry!" Keith's eyes lit up with fiery determination. "I'm going to do everything I can to prove you're innocent!"

And that was the last thing I heard before the classroom door was shut behind me.

* * *

**Heheh :3 cliffhanger...**

**Well, I'm going to run away now before you all murder me for updating 3 times in a day and leaving you with a really bad cliffhanger XD eheh...**

***runs away screaming "Read, review, and enjoy!"***


	16. Chapter 16: The Truth Will Set You Free

**(Third Person POV)**

"She's getting away again!"

"Grab her! Someone grab her!"

Rena slipped out of her handcuffs again and made a break for the infirmary's door. She jerked at the doorknob, then groaned when she realized it was locked. The two cops quickly caught up to her and slapped the handcuffs around her wrists for the seventh time, then dragged her back over to the chair.

Janice told the authorities that they could use the infirmary as their interrogation room, since the staff mostly just used it as a break room anyways.

"Stop trying to get away!" The lead cop scolded her, plopping Rena back down in a chair at the table. "You're only making this worse for yourself."

Rena just grumbled incoherent things to herself, sulking further into her chair.

"Now, I'm going to ask you this again..." The second cop exhaled sharply, leaning on the table closer to Rena. "Where. Are. The. Stylers."

"For the love of Arceus! How many times to I have to tell you?!" Rena lost her temper, slamming her handcuffed fists into the table, shaking it violently. "I. AM. INNOCENT! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

The lead cop just scoffed. "Yeah, likely story." He rolled his eyes, then narrowed his gaze at Rena. "Look, girl. We've got motive, means, and oppertunity. The DA might give you a break if you just confess right now and tell us where all of those missing Stylers are, but I can't make any promises."

A vein bulged from Rena's forehead. "I already told you. You've got the wrong person! I'm being set up...!"

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

Suddenly, a person on the outside of the infirmary's door began pounding on it.

The second cop just sighed. "I'll get this..." He trudged over to the door and unlocked it, then opened it. He was surprised to see none other than Mr. Kincaid standing there. "What do you want?"

Mr. Kincaid held his head high, radiating confidence. "I would like to speak with my student. In private."

"Fine..." The second cop turned to face his superior. "C'mon, Chief. Let's take a break for a little while."

"I could use a cup of coffee, anyways..." The Pueltown Police Chief shrugged his shoulders, then followed his suboordinate out the door.

The second that the two cops left the room, Mr. Kincaid stepped inside, accompanied by Rena's Mightyena.

As soon as Rena locked eyes with Mightyena, her mood was immediately lifted, and her eyes lit up with delighted surprise. "Mightyena!"

Mightyena barked happily and pounced Rena, knocking her over in her chair. She giggled uncontrollably as he licked her face over and over again with worry.

Mr. Kincaid grimaced at their friendship, then closed the door behind him. "Alright, alright. Let's get down to business." He walked over and sat in the chair opposite of Rena, folding his arms across the table.

Mightyena helped sit Rena's chair back up, and she immediately turned to Mr. Kincaid with determination glowing in her blue eyes. "Mr. Kincaid, I'm innocent! You have to believe me..."

"You think I don't already know that?" Mr. Kincaid bitterly cut her off mid-sentence. He just sighed, letting his exhaustion show. "Of course you're innocent, undoubtedly so."

Rena just sat there blinking repeatedly, completely confused. "...wait what?"

Mr. Kincaid just rolled his eyes. "Honestly Raux, the boss described you as much smarter and sharper than that."

Rena froze, completely unsure how to respond. "Hold up...you are working for the boss?"

Mr. Kincaid was a little disappointed that she didn't already figure it out. "Of course I am!" He huffed, throwing his arms up into the air. "I was only placed here in this wretched school for this mission in the first place. How do you think the boss arranged for you to be put in the same class as Keith?"

Rena's jaw fell open as she began putting the pieces together. "Are you kidding me? The boss had someone on the inside this whole time and he didn't even tell me?!" She grunted in frustration, then locked eyes with Mr. Kincaid again. "So...we're on the same side?"

"Yes." Mr. Kincaid rested his head in his hand. "We are."

Rena took a minute to take it all in. "Oh, well... I still hate you, though."

Mr. Kincaid nodded his head, unamused. "Likewise."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "So since you're just a fake teacher, does that mean you can give me special treatment and just not give me detention slips anymore?"

"No. Nice try."

"Aww... Fine. Well, I guess it was worth a shot." Rena smirked slightly at that, shaking her head. Then, she shook off her lighthearted mood and got right back down to business. "Alright, here's the problem. Kim's setting me up, the cops don't believe my testimony at all, and my cell phone is up in my room so I can't call Ice."

"Don't worry about that." Mr. Kincaid waved her off. "I've got a plan. Honestly, all you have to do is sit here and stall." He stood up from his chair and began to walk away. "Think you can manage that?"

Rena just made silly faces at him while his back was turned to her. "Yeah I think I can manage that..." She mocked him with her disrespectful, playful voice.

* * *

**~Meanwhile, in the Hallway Outside of the Infirmary~**

"Keith, what should we do...?" Rhythimi worriedly glanced at the infirmary door, then back at her spiky red-haired friend. "We have to clear her name somehow!"

Isaac was furiously typing on his laptop, sitting up against the wall next to Rhythimi. "I'm currently researching several strategies to clear her name as we speak..."

Keith was sitting halfway up the stairs, resting his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand. He was completely silent, deep in thought. He had the most serious poker face on Rhythimi had ever seen him make.

Isaac began pitching ideas. "We could try to lift fingerprints from the safe where the Stylers are usually stored...?"

"No, that won't work..." Rhythimi turned down his idea, lightly patting his arm as she looked straight ahead at Keith. "We don't have the forensics equipment for that. And besides, I think Keith is trying to think of something right now. Just look at his face."

Rhythimi redirected Isaac's attention to Keith sitting up on the stairs, and both blondes observed how deep in thought Keith was at present.

**Ker-Chunk**

All three teens jumped from surprise at the sound of the infirmary door opening, and they were quickly disappointed to see that it was just Mr. Kincaid exiting the room. Instead of scolding them for taking up space in the hallways like they all expected Mr. Kincaid to do, he instead stood in front of Rhythimi and Isaac, looking at the three of them.

"You all want to prove Miss Deveraux's innocence, correct?" Mr. Kincaid inquired, crossing his arms and looking directly at Keith.

"Of course!" Rhythimi shot straight up, and Isaac stood up right next to her. "Rena's done nothing but help us all out, and now we want to return the favor."

"Mr. Kincaid..." Isaac, Mr. Kincaid's prized student, approached his teacher. "We have reason to believe that Rena is being set up and framed for the theft by Kim."

Mr. Kincaid nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. I came to the same conclusion."

Keith just raised an eyebrow at how out of charcater Mr. Kincaid was being at present.

"Well?" Rhythimi piped up, a little impatient. "What should we do?"

Mr. Kincaid sighed. "The only thing I think you can do is find solid evidence pinning Kim to the crime, and then turn it in to Prinipal Lamont once he gets back from the Ranger Union in half an hour."

"Why Principal Lamont?" Isaac asked, a little confused. "Shouldn't we just turn over the hypothetical evidence to the authorities?"

Mr. Kincaid shook his head. "I would advise against that." He looked over at the two cops across the hall enjoying their cups of coffee. "Those two buffoons are just itching to arrest Miss Deveraux, and they're refusing to listen to reason. Do some digging around and find something to clear her name." Mr. Kincaid turned to look right at Keith once again. "And I suggest you get moving quick. If you can convince Lamont that Miss Deveraux is innocent, then he can take care of the rest."

Keith suddenly got an idea, leaping up from the stairs. "That's it! I know exactly what to do!" Keith looked over at Mr. Kincaid. "Uh, permission to break a few rules...?"

Mr. Kincaid turned his head the other way. "What are you talking about? I didn't see you do anything." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, then began striding away from the three students.

Keith smirked at Mr. Kincaid's uncharacteristic compliance. "Alright! Time we get started, then."

* * *

"Listen up, everyone!" Keith stood up on the coffee table upstairs in the Commons Area, commanding the attention over everyone in the room.

Not even five minutes after Mr. Kincaid gave Keith the idea, Keith single handedly rounded up between fifty and sixty Ranger School students from various classes to help prove Rena's innocence. Of course, he only selected students that weren't loyal to Kim.

"Our objective is simple: find the missing Stylers." Keith placed his balled up fists on his hips. "I've divided you all up into teams of search parties, and if we all look together to comb through the whole school, we should find them in no time!"

"YEAH!" The crowd cheered enthusiastically, punching their fists into the air.

"Alright!" Keith looked down at his Buizel, who was standing next to his feet. "Buizel, take five students with you into the basement. You're in charge of that group."

"Bui bui!" Buizel saluted his parter, then leapt off of the coffee table. He ushered five students standing towards the back of the crowd to follow him downstairs into the basement.

"Rhythimi." Keith looked over at his oldest friend. "Take Ponte and a few others to search both the guys and girls dorms."

Rhythimi nodded her head, taking orders from Keith for once without fighting with him. "You got it!" She turned to face a group of students behind her with her sleeping Eevee in her arms, and she grabbed four girls and five guys to assist her. "C'mon! Let's go search all of the dorms!"

Isaac watched Rhythimi run away with her search party, and he quickly listened to the sound of the doors opening and closing. "Keith, some of the mechanics and I can search the Library and Cafeteria."

Keith nodded his head. "Yes! That's a great idea!" After Isaac and an additional six students went down the stairs, Keith turned his attention to the remaining students. "Everyone else, check the campus outside and all of the other classrooms!" Keith nodded his head. "Dismissed!"

Keith waited for everyone to leave before he went downstairs himself. Rena was his friend, and he was going to do everything in his power to ensure her safety. He ran down the stairs and quickly found himself standing inside the Teacher's Lounge, wanting to look for clues.

"Ok...scene of the crime." Keith awkwardly talked out loud to himself. He passed by all of the yellow police tape and walked all the way to the back, then glanced at the open safe.

The safe was wide open and completely empty. Keith wasn't really sure what exactly it was that he was expecting to find, but he was a little disappointed that he didn't find anything. For the next ten minutes, Keith looked around to see if he could find anything else. He didn't see any footprints anywhere, and the whole room still was very tidy. The large table that took up most of the room was covered in books and papers teachers started to grade, but none of it looked suspicious really. Keith was disappointed that he came to yet another dead end.

**Beep beep!**

Keith's cellphone buzzed, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket. It was Rhythimi.

_"Nothing in the dorms. There wasn't even a single clue in Kim's room."_

Keith muttered curses to himself at the bad news, unhappy with this dead end.

"Bui bui!" Buizel came bounding into the Teacher's Lounge with his search party right behind him. Buizel had a very disappointed look written across his face. "Bui..."

"Nothing for you guys, either?" Keith sighed heavily. He crouched down to scratch Buizel behind his ear, which he happily wagged his twin tails in response to. "Well, it's alright. You tried."

"Keith!" Isaac came running into the Teacher's Lounge with his search party of Mechanics accompanying him.

"Yeah? Anything?!" Keith got himself really worked up with excitement, only to have his hope crushed immediately with Isaac's crestfallen look.

"Unfortunately, no..." Isaac sighed. "I honestly have no idea where she could have hid them!"

"There's nothing outside, either!" Another student came running into the room. "We checked both Ascension Square and the Training Gym!"

A human figure loomed outside the doorway to the Teacher's Lounge, but they remained outside the door. Their ear was pressed against the wall, just listening in to the conversation. They contemplated walking inside, but they got too nervous and backed out every time they tried to take a step into the room.

Keith plopped down in a chair at the large table in the center of the Teacher's Lounge. "How is that even possible?! There's over one hundred Stylers in that supply, so it's not like she could've left the campus with them!"

"...Umm, well, there's one more place you haven't checked yet..."

All of the students quickly turned their heads to the door at the sound of the quiet and timid voice that spoke up.

Keith slowly stood up from the chair he was sitting in, completely confused. "Bethany...?"

Sure enough, the figure that had previously been looming outside the door was Bethany: Kim's best friend.

The girl with straight, long blonde hair and hazel eyes grew more timid by the second. "I... I'm so sorry! I never thought that she would go this far!" Bethany sobbed, rubbing at her eyes.

Rhythimi cautiously approached her and set her hand on Bethany's shoulder. "Hey, it's ok. Calm down." Bethany quickly enveloped Rhythimi in a vice-grip hug, sniffling a little. "Bethany, if you know something..."

"I feel just awful!" Bethany sobbed again. "I didn't realize that Rena could go to prison if the Stylers didn't turn up! Otherwise, I never would've agreed to help Kim hide them!"

Everyone in the room just gasped, and Keith stepped forward. "Please, Bethany... Rena's life is at stake here." He pleaded her, acting way out of character.

Bethany let go of Rhythimi and wiped at her eyes. "My grandmother, Chairperson Erma, told me about this one secret spot on campus that she, Professor Hastings, and Principal Lamont used to hang out at when they were just kids at the Ranger School. I only told Kim about it because I thought that one day we could use it as our little secret base, but she told me it was a stupid idea..."

"Well?" Isaac stepped forward. "Where is it?"

Bethany reluctantly opened her mouth to speak. "You see, the Pledge Stone in Ascension Square..." She choked on her words. "...it moves when you press a secret switch."

* * *

"Is this it?" Rhythimi asked Bethany, pointing to a small indentation on the side of the Pledge Stone in Ascension Square. Her Eevee was resting atop of her head, sleeping soundly.

"Yes..." Bethany nodded, hugging herself timidly. She didn't like the idea of turning on Kim, but she wasn't given much choice, given the circumstances.

Rhythimi had taken a majority of the students with her down to the Pledge Stone to investigate, with the exception of Keith and Isaac. The two boys immediately went to get Principal Lamont and the two cops, and they were trying their best to enact their half of the plan: arrange a meeting in the Teacher's Lounge. Rhythimi was in charge of delivering the evidence to clear Rena's name.

Rhythimi pressed the small button, and everyone gasped at the next turn of events. The Pledge Stone began sliding to the side, and a small staircase that lead to an underground base was revealed. She couldn't see what was down there, since it was so dark. She was just thankful that she brought her flashlight with her.

"Oh great..." Rhythimi gulped nervously. "Ugh, Rena is lucky I love her. There better not be any spiders down here..."

Toughing it out, Rhythimi descended the dark staircase. She flicked on her flashlight, and she gasped at what she saw. Standing before her was a gigantic mound of School Stylers, just piled up in the middle of the floor. Off to the sides of the underground base were pictures taped up on the wall, three desks, and posters were everywhere. Just as Bethany had described it, this place did look like it was used as a secret base at one point.

Rhythimi pulled out her cell phone and snapped a picture of the Stylers, then texted it to Keith. "I sure hope that idiot knows what he's doing..."

* * *

**~Meanwhile, Back in the Teacher's Lounge~**

"Hmm." Principal Lamont stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So that's what took place in my absence..."

Principal Lamont had just returned to the Ranger School from a trip up to the Ranger Union, and immediately upon returning, two of his students dragged him into the Teacher's Lounge and began explaining this wild story.

Ms. April and Mr. Kincaid were standing off to the side, present for the meeting. Shortly after, Ms. Claire and Mr. Kaplan entered the room alongside the rest of the Ranger School teachers. The room quickly became flooded with teachers, and a few of the students that were involved were also there. The two cops stepped inside the room and stood over by the door, waiting to hear the rest of this.

"They have the wrong person, sir." Keith spoke up. "Rena didn't take the Stylers at all." He defended his friend, standing right beside Isaac in the middle of the crowd.

"Then who did steal them, Keith?" Principal Lamont inquired, listening to their story carefully. "And I sure hope you have some evidence to back up your accusation as well."

"Kim Daley, sir." Isaac spoke up. "We have reason to believe that she stole the Stylers, hid them on campus, and made it look like Rena was the one who did it so that she would take the fall and get expelled."

Principal Lamont exhaled sharply. "My, my. That's quite the accusation you have there." He turned to look at the two cops in the back of the room, addressing them immediately. "Well, what are you waiting for? Fetch both Rena and Kim and bring the two girls in here."

The Pueltown Police Chief nodded his head. "Uh, yes sir!"

Five minutes later, the two officers returned with both Rena and Kim by their sides, but Rena still remained handcuffed.

"Kim." Principal Lamont looked across the room at her. "Can you please explain to me what happened while I was gone?"

"Certainly!" Kim smirked evilly, shooting Rena a sideways glance. "You see, this morning I was walking to class when I noticed Rena acting awful suspicious. I followed her into the Teacher's Lounge, and I quickly hid as I watched her take the Stylers out of the safe and stuff them into a big bag!" Kim lied deadfully, putting on a show with her exaggerations. "I then watched her take the Stylers upstairs to the dorms, and you know the rest from there." She smiled innocently, holding her head up high and mighty. She was clearly feeling proud of herself for catching the 'culprit.'

"Is that so?" Principal Lamont wondered out loud. He then looked over at Rena, wanting to hear what she had to say. "And Rena, what's your side of the story?"

Rena slipped out of her handcuffs, and the cops struggled to grab her again and restrain her. When she got handcuffed again, she just slipped out of them again. And again. And again.

The Police Chief just sweatdropped. "We're sorry, sir! We've never had this much trouble holding onto a witness before!"

Everyone in the room just sweatdropped.

"Rena..." Keith stifled his laughter, finding this highly amusing. "Cut it out already and just tell Principal Lamont your side of the story."

Rena sighed, annoyed. "Fine." She glanced down at her Mightyena, then back up at Lamont. "Ms. April asked me to grab her a stack of papers from the Teacher's Lounge this morning, and I was nearly late to class because I bumped into Kim in there and we got into an argument. Then, a little into class, Mr. Kincaid and Kim came running inside, and that's when Kim accused me of taking the Stylers." Rena stared at Principal Lamont with a bored expression, getting sick of having to say the same story over and over again. "I honestly have no idea where the Stylers are, because I didn't take them."

"Interesting." Principal Lamont observed, staring at the two girls before him. "Just as I suspected, your stories don't match up." He then looked over at Kim. "Kim, I do have a question for you, though."

"Yes, sir?" She smiled angelically, pretending to be innocent.

Principal Lamont stepped up to her cautiously. "You said that you saw Rena heading up the stairs with the Stylers towards the dorms, correct?" He asked her.

Kim nodded her head. "Yes. That's correct."

Principal Lamont frowned, pulling Keith's cell phone out of his pocket. "If that's the case, then how do you explain this?" He showed her the picture of the stash of School Stylers underneath the Pledge Stone.

The blood completely drained from Kim's face. "I... I umm, well...you see..." She quickly scanned the crowd until her eyes rested on Bethany. "Bethany, how could you just rat me out like that?!"

Bethany wore an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but you just went too far this time! I don't want to be responsible for sending an innocent person to jail!"

The entire crowd of students and teachers gasped, and both of the cops just sweatdropped.

"Wait..." The cop holding Rena stared blankly at Principal Lamont. "So you mean to tell me that we've had the wrong person this whole time, and she was actually telling the truth...?"

"That's exactly what we're saying." Keith smirked triumphantly, crossing his arms victoriously. He looked over at Rena and flashed her a cocky smirk. Rena just groaned at the stupid flirt.

The Police Chief un-handcuffed Rena and stepped over to Kim. "Young lady, I suggest that you call your parents and get yourself a really good lawyer." He slapped the cuffs around Kim's wrists, and she protested very loudly.

"Hey! You can't do this to me!" She thrashed in the cop's grip. "Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"Kim." Principal Lamont looked over at her, completely disappointed in her behavior. "I don't care how much money your uncle donates to our school; this behavior is completely unacceptable. I hereby expel you from Ranger School."

Kim's lip quivered as this all began to sink in. "W-wait just a second! You can't do that!" She turned to look at Keith, begging for mercy. "Keith, I only did it for us! You have to believe me!"

Keith shook his head at her, jerking his eyes away from her pleading gaze. "You've gone way too far. I was able to put up with you before, but this is just the icing on the cake." He crossed his arms and glared at her angrily. "I don't know how in your right mind you thought that I could ever like someone so diabolical, and so jealous that you're willing to hurt my friends just to be with me. Honestly, I'm ashamed of you. People like you give us wealthy people a bad name."

Kim's heart shattered as loud as a plane crash.

"Do you have anything you want to say to Rena?" Ms. April glared at Kim, stepping up to her and turning her to face Rena. "You did after all almost get her sent to prison."

Kim's lip trembled as she angrily glared at Rena. "You stupid WHORE!" She lashed out in anger. "If you hadn't been such a skank and gotten between Keith and I, this would have NEVER happened!"

"Kim!" Ms. April gaped at Kim, completely astounded. "Watch your language! That's no way to talk to anyone!"

Rena just stared at Kim with a deadpanned look, brushing off her insults as if they were nothing. "You know, Kim? I've been wanting to do this for a long time now, and it looks like this will be the last chance I'll get to do it." Rena smirked evilly at Kim, enjoying her look of horror as she drew her head back for momentum.

**BAM!**

"AIIIIIIEEEEEEEYAAAAH!"

Rena headbutted Kim right in the face as hard as she could, and Kim's nose made an unnatural cracking noise. Rena was quickly restrained by the other cop and Mr. Kaplan as the rest of the students just laughed at Kim's misfortune.

"Rena!" Ms. April scolded her. "You just...you just broke her nose!" She was completely shocked at how violent Rena's temper caused her to be. "Why...you! You're suspended for three days!"

The cops dragged Kim from the room in handcuffs as the teachers dragged Rena towards the detention room.

Rena just laughed as all of the students clapped and cheered for her. "Hah! ...totally worth it."

* * *

**XD XD XD XD you guys got so mad at me for leaving you with such a bad cliffhanger, so I felt motivated to quickly write this update...**

**I hope you guys enjoyed it ^-^ **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	17. Chapter 17: Pull Yourself Together

**(Rena's POV)**

"Oh man, that was a long day..." I sighed out loud, plopping onto my bed.

Rhythimi and Isaac were downstairs at dinner, and Keith was probably with them too. Not really sure, since I just got out of my three day suspension. Since Kim's eighteen years old, the cops are charging her as an adult, and she's looking at 3-4 years in prison. It's been all over the news lately how badly her family's been publicly shamed. Even though her Uncle hired her the best and most expensive lawyer, there's no way she's gonna get out of this.

I stared up at the bottom of Rhythimi's top bunk, and I lightly closed my eyes while smiling peacefully. My bed shook when Mightyena jumped up on it, and he curled up next to me.

"Hey, cutie..." I scratched behind Mightyena's ear, and he licked my face. "Haha! You're a strange one..." I rested my head on my pillow, looking into his deep red eyes. "It's pretty nice here, isn't it? More comfortable than at home-"

**Ring Ring!**

...what in the world?

I sat up in my bed and reached for my cell phone underneath my pillow, and I pulled it out. The Caller-ID was blocked, which was pretty strange. The only time its said that was when...uh oh.

I hastily picked up the phone, nearly dropping it in the process. "B-boss! I'm kinda surprised that you've called to check up on me yourself..."

_"Well, that's not the entire reason for why I've called you, Raux." _The mystery man seemed irritated, and pretty impatient.

"Oh, really?" I sweatdropped, getting more nervous by the second. "Wh-what's the problem, then?"

_"Get ahold of yourself!"_ The mystery man suddenly snapped at me, making me jump from surprise._ "What do you think you're doing?!"_

"What are you talking about...?" I raised an eyebrow at him, deeply confused.

_"You know __exactly__ what I'm talking about."_ His words were curt and straight to the point. _"Have you forgotten why you're in the Ranger School in the first place?! Have you lost your sense of reality?! It's JUST a job, Rena! These people are NOT your friends, and you'll be leaving them behind in a few months!"_

My heart shattered, and the glass pieces of my heart began to chip away and fall to the floor. "O-of course I haven't forgotten... I know that this is just a job, and it's not real. I know my friendships with these people are not real." I lied, covering up my indifference pretty well.

_"Good."_ The mystery man probably nodded his head, pleased with my answer. _"I was worried you were starting to falter, and you would compromise the mission I've worked so hard to complete."_

"No, sir! Not at all!" I quickly sputtered out my words. "...may I ask what led you to believe I was starting to feel indifferent?"

_"Ah."_ He cleared his throat._ "It's just that Kincaid has been sending his weekly reports in, and they're all saying the same thing: you four get along very well together. I was worried you had forgotten your purpose for befriending these imbeciles, and I'd have to send someone down there to make you learn your place."_

They're not imbeciles at all... I used to think that, but they're really not.

I made an audible, nervous gulp. Make me learn my place?! What does he mean by that?! "N-no sir! That won't be necessary at all! Don't you worry, I will not fail you."

_"Good girl."_ The mystery man's grin was very apparent, even from the other end of the line. _"Now, I must be going. Duty calls."_

"Of course, boss." I nodded my head in agreement.

**Click!**

You know, I think I actually forgot for a second that my life here at the Ranger School is fake...

And that...makes me a little sad.

I slumped my shoulders as I slowly dragged my cell phone down to my lap. I shoved it back under my pillow and flopped back onto my bed with a heavy sigh.

"Arf...?" Mightyena whimpered sadly, looking at me with big sad anime eyes.

I wore a meloncholy expression, feeling a sudden wave of depression wash over me. I began petting his fur depressingly. "Mightyena, I... I don't think I want to do this job anymore..."

* * *

**So, Rena is starting to not want to do the job anymore, and kinda likes having friends O-O uh oh... Looks like trouble is coming for our favorite character...**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	18. Chapter 18: The Friendship Bracelet

**(Rena's POV) **

"I CAUGHT FIVE!"

"I CAUGHT SIX!"

"DAMMIT, RENA!"

"HAH! IN YOUR FACE, PRINCE CHARMING!"

Keith sulked at the fact that I kicked his ass in our latest capture challenge, pouting a little. He then perked up and smiled as I released all of my befriended Pokemon. "Hey. You know...you're not so bad. Your capturing skill is improving." He smirked at me as he crossed his arms, sizing me up with his eyes.

I just rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, okay. Sure." I didn't believe him at all or take his compliment seriously.

"Blue Eyes, I'm serious." Keith's expression hardened, and he stepped closer to me. "You really have gotten much better since you first came here four months ago."

I found myself suddenly scrunching up my nose as Keith obnoxiously ruffled my hair. "Thanks, I think...STOP MESSING UP MY HAIR!" I laughed through my frustration, grabbing his hand and jerking it off of my head.

"Oh yeah?" Keith arrogantly laughed at my annoyance. "What are you going to do about it?"

I just froze for a second, then smirked evilly when I got an idea.

Keith just sweatdropped. "Rena, please don't do what I think you're about to do...OH SHIT!"

**BAM!**

"GODDAMMIT!"

I just laughed after I tackled Keith to the ground in Ascension Square, pinning him to the grassy floor. "Hah! I'd like to see you try and mess with me now!"

"Oh yeah?" Keith raised an eyebrow, flashing me a seductive smirk. "Challenge accepted!"

In one swift movement, Keith gripped my arms and flipped me onto my back, pinning me to the floor.

"Keith...!" I laughed, trying to squirm out of his grip. "Get off of me!"

"Hmm, let me think about that... Yeah, no." Keith smirked, still holding me to the ground. "Don't start something you can't finish."

I just scoffed. "Is that a challenge?" I dropped my jaw, laughing a little in surprise.

"Maybe, maybe not." Keith shrugged his shoulders, being pretty casual about the situation we were in.

My face slightly flushed a little once I noticed how close we were, which didn't go unnoticed by Keith. I think he was just about to make fun of me for it before we were suddenly interrupted by someone coming down the stairs to Ascension Square.

"Rena, where are you...oh." Rhythimi awkwardly froze at the bottom of the stairs, noticing Keith pinning me to the ground. "Uh, am I interrupting something?" She wore an all-knowing smirk, flashing me a glance I knew meant that we would be talking about this later.

"No!" I quickly answered her, getting on the defensive. My blush only deepened from here.

"Yes, actually." Keith lied to her. "Clearly, we're in the middle of something very..."

"Keith, shut up!" I laughed, shoving his muscular arm a little. I turned my head back to look at Rhythimi. "Don't listen to him, he's a liar."

"Oh-kay then...?" Rhythimi laughed. She was holding Eevee in one hand and a small box in the other. Eevee leapt out of her arms and frolicked over to the shady tree where both Mightyena and Buizel were soundly napping under, and he curled up next to Mightyena before drifting off to sleep. "Well. Keith, if you don't mind leaving us for a bit, I have something I want to talk to Rena about."

Keith frowned slightly at the thought of having to leave. "...fine. I guess I could go take a walk for a few minutes and come back later." He pushed himself up from the ground and up off of me, then glanced down at me still laying down on the floor. "Oh oops. Forgot something." He crouched down and effortless scooped me up, holding me bridal-style in his arms.

"Hey! Put me down!" I protested. Although, as annoyed as I tried to make myself look, it completely failed since I was laughing through every word.

Keith smiled, rolling his eyes. "You're so impatient. I was getting to that." He gently set my feet down on the ground, standing me back up. He then strided away from me and over to the stairs, making a cool exit. "See yah later, Blue Eyes, Blondie." He waved good-bye to us without turning his head to look at us, and he soon disappeared from my sight.

Rhythimi excitedly ran up to me, still clutching onto the small box. "Oooh! What was that about?!"

"Before you start jumping to conclusions..." I sighed, knowing all too well that Rhythimi already assumed her dream school ship pairing came true. "...that was nothing. We're just friends." I felt awkward saying that out loud, which was strange, because saying that never bothered me before.

"Aww..." Rhythimi pouted, frowning majorly. "Oh come on! When will you two confess already?!"

I just shot her the weirdest look ever. "The day I like Keith is the day you kiss a llama."

"Eww!" Rhythimi scrunched up her nose in disgust. "That's gross! Why would I kiss a llama?"

"Exactly." I crossed my arms, only causing Rhythimi to pout more. "Oh yeah. Didn't you say you had something to talk to me about?"

"Oh!" Rhythimi suddenly remembered, then shoved the small box she was holding into my hands. "That's right! I just wanted to give you this. I spent aaaaaall afternoon making it for you!"

I just raised an eyebrow at the small gift box. "What is it?" I turned it over to examine all sides of it, and it made a slight rattling noise.

It's not a small bomb, right?

...nah. Probably not. Rhythimi's smart, but not bomb-making smart.

"It's a surprise!" She pushed the box I was holding closer to my chest. "Open it!"

I just shrugged, lifting the lid. "Alright then. Why not?"

You wouldn't believe my surprise at what the box's contents was. A small bracelet made from black and blue seed beads rested inside the box, and it was weaved in a cute, ornate pattern. The beads she used were my two favorite colors, and I just blinked in surprise.

"Tah dah!" Rhythimi extended her arms upwards, smiling brightly at me. "It's a friendship bracelet! I made it myself~!"

I suddenly found myself growing very sad at the sight of this bracelet. The nice gesture should've made me happy, but all it did was remind me that I would have to leave Rhythimi behind in a few months and never look back. And honestly...it pained me. I...actually like her. A lot. And aside from Mightyena, I consider Rhythimi my best friend. Isaac and Keith are also my friends, and I hold the three of them close to my heart.

This job might just be my hardest one yet... And not because it's a lot of work, but because I failed my one objective: don't get too attached.

"I've never had one before..." I blinked back tears, marveling over the black and blue bracelet that was now on my left wrist, right next to my Mother's silver and blue bracelet.

"Never had what? A friendship bracelet?" Rhythimi giggled, punching me in the shoulder.

"No." I looked at the bracelet, then back up at her. "A friend..."

"What?" Rhythimi laughed at me, then noticed I was being completely serious. "Don't be silly!" She immediately glomped me into a huge hug, smiling brightly. "You have both me, and the boys!"

I quickly found myself hugging her back as tight as I could, dwelling in my sadness.

Not for long...

* * *

**How many of you guys are confused by all the updates?**

**Well, before you ask me if I'm sick or something, since updating this much all at once is practically unheard of for me, yes. I actually AM sick XD not kidding. I decided to go ahead and knock out this little filler chapter while I'm waiting for my NyQuil to kick in. **

**I bet all of you FabricationOfLiesShippers just squealed at the whole scene at the beginning of the chapter XD and to all you ColdHeartedShippers, I'm sorry Ice hasn't been in the latest chapters, but don't worry, because he'll be making an appearance very soon. **

**I'm working my double Sunday shift tomorrow .-. Hooray. I'm gonna be soooooooo tired XD... Well, this is my last update for today, and now I'm going to sleep XD **

**Read, review, and enjoy ^-^**


	19. Chapter 19: Family Matters

**(Rena's POV)**

I just did a spit-take, then whacked Keith upside the head. "You idiot! That's not true at all!"

"What? Yes it is!" Keith laughed, rubbing the now sore spot on his head where I just smacked him. "Brown Miltanks make chocolate milk, and pink Milktanks make strawberry milk!"

I just rolled my eyes at his obvious lie. "You've gotta be kidding me. I'm not gullible enough to fall for such a stupid lie!" I laughed at him, shaking my head.

The four of us were all downstairs in the cafeteria, eating our dinner at the tables. Keith was just finishing up this wild tale about how different colored Miltanks make different flavors of milk.

"...is that really how it works?" Rhythimi tilted her head to the side, a little confused.

I just facepalmed, then dragged my hand down my face. "No, sweetie. He's just trying to get you to fall for his lie."

"...oh." Rhythimi sweatdropped, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. "I knew that."

Keith, Isaac and I just all busted out laughing, and Rhythimi's face reddened with embarrassment.

Isaac slowly stopped laughing, then stood up from the table with his tray in his hand. "Well, I should probably head upstairs if I want to talk to Melody for more than an hour."

"Oh, ok then." Rhythimi smiled, waving good-by to Isaac. "See you tomorrow, Isaac!"

Keith slightly waved, not really paying attention. "Say hi to her for me."

"Will do." Isaac nodded, dumping his trash in the trash can.

I just sweatdropped. "Uh... Who's Melody?"

They are just froze and stared at me as if I was a complete idiot. What?! What did I miss?!

"Oh, did I not tell you about my sister?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at me, walking back over to the table.

"No, I don't think so..." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, clearing my throat. "You have a sister?"

"Yeah." Isaac smiled, thinking of his sister fondly. "My little sister's name is Melody, and she's seven years old. She goes to the private elementary school in Pueltown that Keith and I went to when we were little." Isaac explained. "We're pretty close, and we Skype every night. In fact..." He hesitated, then looked over at me. "Would you like to join in on tonight's Skype call and meet her?"

"Me?" I pointed to myself in shock as the blood drained from my face. "You want me to meet your kid sister?" I just blinked at him, unable to comprehend this.

"Sure! Why not?" Isaac walked over to me, holding his arm out for me to take. "Come on! I'm sure she'll love you."

"Oh, I don't know if I should..." I nervously laughed, shyly turning my head away.

Kids!? I know nothing about kids! Nothing at all! I'd probably screw up and say the completely wrong thing or something! Oh...and what if she just doesn't like me?! What if I accidentally curse in front of her?! OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD...

...who knew a little seven-year-old could get me so worked up.

"Go on!" Rhythimi laughed, ushering me to get up. "Go!"

Keith nudged me with his elbow. "Oh come on, it's not like she's going to bite you or anything. Go ahead and go!"

I felt myself growing more nervous and anxious by the second. It doesn't look like they're giving much choice, are they...?

Reluctantly, I stood up from the table with my tray to throw away my trash. I waved good-bye to Keith and Rhythimi, then trudged my way upstairs alongside Isaac.

Isaac laughed at how pale my face was. "There's no need to be so nervous, you know... She's just my sister." He smiled at me, trying to calm me down as we approached the door to his dorm room.

"Eheh... Right..." I nervously laughed, scratching at the back of my head.

Isaac led me inside, and I immediately took notice of the state of the boys' room. Holy...

Isaac's side of the room was organized and tidy, while Keith's half of the room was a complete mess. Papers and clothes were scattered all over the floor, and it was just a disgustingly dirty mess. Eww... How can boys survive being such slobs? Seriously?

Perhaps I will never know the answer to that.

"Over here, Rena!" Isaac waved me over to his desk on his side of the room, and his laptop was positioned on top of it. He borrowed the desk chair from Keith's desk and pulled it over to his for me to sit in. After we took our seats at the desk, Isaac lifted the lid to his laptop and frantically began setting up the Skype call. "This should only take a minute." Isaac reassured me.

A few beads of cold sweat were dripping down my forehead as my hands anxiously shook. "Eheh... Take your time! No, seriously. Take your time."

Isaac clicked the call button on Melody's Skype contact, and before I knew it, it began ringing.

**Ring Ring! Ring Ring!**

One second, two seconds...

_"Hello?"_ The face of a little girl with bright green eyes popped up on the screen, and I instantly noticed she had straight blonde hair the same shade as Isaac's._ "Oh! Big brother!"_

"Hi, Melody!" Isaac's face lit up with the most happy expression I've ever seen him make. "I've missed you so much!"

_"I've missed you too!"_ Melody pouted a little, then quickly grew confused when she saw me. _"Umm... Big brother? Who's that girl?"_

Isaac then looked over at me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a side hug. "Melody, I would like you to meet my good friend Rena! She transferred in a little late this year."

_"Oh! Ok!" _Melody smiled brightly, then locked eyes with me. _"Hi, Rena!"_

"U-uh umm... H-hi...!" I stammered out my broken words, struggling to speak from my high level of anxiety.

"Don't be so nervous..." Isaac laughed under his breath, whispering to me. "You'll do fine."

"Ok..." I whispered back, then cleared my throat. I looked back on the screen at Melody's expectant eyes. "Umm... H-hey. My name is Rena Deveraux, and I'm seventeen." I gave her a quick little introduction to myself.

_"That's a pretty name!"_ Melody grinned brightly, wearing an adorable smile across her face. _"My name is Melody Genevieve Gram Bell, and I'm seven years old."_ Her eyes ten widened in awe. _"Oh, wow! You're ten whole years older than me! Big brother is eleven years older."_

Isaac is eighteen? Huh. I never would've guessed, since he just looks so young.

"How are things back home?" Isaac asked Melody, resting his elbows on the desks.

_"Super fun!"_ Melody cheered. _"Mommy got me a few new Poke Plushies, and Daddy even took me out to the park yesterday!"_ Her eyes then dimmed a little as she grew sad. _"Although, I wish you'd come home soon..."_

"I know." Isaac frowned. "Hey, just wait until the summer!" Isaac began his attempt to cheer her up. "It's only a few months away, and once I graduate, I can play with you every day until I have to leave for work!"

_"Yay!"_ Melody clapped her hands together, smiling brightly. "_I can't wait!"_

My face visibly fell a the mention of summer and graduation.

It's only a few months away... The end of my job is getting closer and closer with each passing day.

I shook my head to snap out of it, continuing my internal pep talk.

Remember the money, Rena. One billion poke dollars. One billion! You can retire after this! You'll finally be able to support you and Mightyena for the rest of your lives, never having to work ever again. And then you'll live happily...ever...after.

Yeah... Because that's exactly what I want, and that hasn't...changed...

...I think.

_"Rena?"_ Melody uttered my name, looking a little concerned. _"Are you ok?"_

"Huh?" I snapped back into reality. "O-oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry."

_"Ok..."_ Melody wore an awkward look, not really sure if I was lying or not. _"If you say so."_

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

"Hey, Isaac?" Keith's voice suddenly came into the room. He cracked open the door slightly, looking in. "Can I talk to you for a minute about something? Sorry to interrupt, but it's important." Keith looked a little guilty for interrupting the Skype call.

I wonder what was the matter?

"Oh, sure. You're fine." Isaac stood up from his office chair.

Wait a minute...is he going to leave me alone with Melody?! HOLY SHIT! NONONONONO! I can't do this!

Isaac turned back around to look at me. "I'll be right back. Just keep talking to Melody in the meantime, ok?" He flashed me an apologetic smile, then joined Keith by the door.

"Oh-kay..." I exhaled sharply as they shut the door behind them, more nervous than ever before. I awkwardly turned back around to face the laptop, sweatdropping a little. "Uh-umm... So...what do you want to talk about?" I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

_"Umm."_ Melody thought about it for a second. _"I'm not sure what friends talk about, since I don't really have any..."_ She trailed off a little, nervously glancing around her room.

Well that's definitely a red flag right there.

"You consider me your friend?" I raised an eyebrow, trying to get into her comfort zone before prying for answers.

_"Well, yeah! Of course!"_ Melody's mood immediately picked up. _"You're big brother's friend, so you're mine too!"_ She curiously looked into my blue eyes._ "Can I please call you big sister? I've always wanted a big sister!"_

"Uh..." I sweatdropped a little, unsure of what to say. Don't fuck up don't fuck up don't fuck up... "...sure? Why not?" I shrugged my shoulders, then mentally reminded myself to relax a little.

_"Ok, big sister!"_ Melody giggled happily, excited that I approved of her nickname for me, even though it was a little silly.

I just awkwardly laughed. "So, Melody... What do you mean by you don't have any friends?" I cautiously approached the subject. "Don't you have friends at school?"

Melody's face seemed to shatter, and the other side of the mirror was revealed. _"Well, no... Not really..."_

I grew confused, and warily asked yet another question. "Why not?"

She uncomfortably shuffled in her chair, avoiding eye contact. _"Well, the other kids don't really like me very much."_

What...? "Why don't they like you?" I asked her, puzzled as to why anyone wouldn't like this girl. I like her, so why don't they?

She rubbed the back of her neck, still avoiding eye contact. _"They just don't like me because they think I'm spoiled, since my family is rich. They're always picking on me..."_

What.

A vein bulged from my forehead at the mention of that. "They're picking on you?!" My voice rose a little in volume out of frustration, and I quickly quieted back down in order to not scare Melody.

_"Yeah... It's ok, I guess, since I'm used to it..." _She sighed. _"But you have to promise me not to tell big brother! He doesn't know!" _Melody suddenly grew serious._ "I don't want him to know!"_

My eyes just widened in shock. "You mean Isaac doesn't know...?"

**Ker-chunk!**

In the middle of my sentence, the door swung open, and in stepped Keith and Isaac.

"Thanks for your help." Keith nodded his head to Isaac.

"No problem." Isaac waved good-bye to him as Keith left the room again. He walked over and sat back down in the chair, turning to look at Melody. "Now, where were we?"

Melody is being picked on, and Isaac doesn't know? How can he not know what's going on with his sister?! I thought they were so close!

...

I think I might just have to do something about that.

* * *

**Duhn duhn duhn... Suddenly a filler chapter turns into something more 0-e who thinks Rena is going to do something crazy stupid?**

**Since I had a substitute teacher second period and I was bored, I wrote this chapter for you guys ^-^**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	20. Chapter 20: Breaking The Rules

**(Rena's POV)**

I stepped out of Isaac and Keith's dorm; he had just hung up on Melody and turned in for the night. Despite it being 9pm and a Wednesday night, I had no intention of turning in for the night anytime soon.

Instead of going back to my dorm room, I turned left and began walking down the staircase. The odds of Rhythimi worrying about me not being in my bed are pretty high, so I better make sure to be back before she wakes up at 6am tomorrow morning.

I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and hit the number one on my speed dial, holding it close to my ear as I kept walking towards the front of the school.

**Ring Ring!**

...

**Click!**

_"Hello?"_

"Ice, I need a favor. How fast can you get here?"

_"I'd say about twenty minutes give or take, depending on traffic. ...am I going to like this...?"_

"Probably not."

* * *

"You want me to do WHAT?!" Ice dropped his jaw in shock, stepping out of the limousine out front of the Ranger School.

"You heard me." I quickly ran down the front steps to the school and slipped through the bars of the front gate, meeting up with Ice on the other side. "Did you bring what I asked?"

"Well, yeah..." Ice grumbled, shoving the duffel bag I had asked him to bring into my arms. "The boss is not going to like this..."

I stepped past Ice and slipped into the back seat of the limousine. "And that's exactly why you're not going to tell him."

Ice just gawked at me, getting inside and sitting in the seat next to me. He closed the car door hard. "What?! Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to say if he asks questions?" Ice panicked, a little paranoid. "Did you even think of that?!"

"I'm a pro, of course I did." I just scoffed. "If he asks, you just tell him that we snuck out to case out the Dazzle Mansion next door in advance."

"Yeah, except that we're not doing that at all and we're going to the Gram Bell Mansion..." Ice muttered curses under his breath, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

I tapped on the window that separated the back seat of the limousine from the driver's front half. "Drive." I commanded the driver to get going.

The roar of the engine echoed through the air, and we swiftly slipped deep into the night.

I immediately opened up the duffel bag and grabbed the black jump suit out of it, starting to change into it.

"Wah?!" Ice gawked, holding his breath. "You're just gonna change right here?!"

I stopped pulling off my sleeves half way. "Yeah? Problem?"

Ice's face reddened, and he just shook his head. He covered his face with his hand and pressed his cheek against the car's window. "You're lucky I'm a gentleman."

I just scoffed. "If that's what you call a condescending prick, then yes you are one."

"Hey!"

"What? Just saying."

"Oh would you just get dressed already!"

"I AM doing that. Yeesh..."

I zipped up the front zipper to my black jumpsuit and grabbed the black boots out of the bag, then traded them out with my Ranger School boots. Folding my school uniform and boots into the duffel bag, I set it down at the bottom of the seat and slipped a pair of black gloves over my hands. I secured my hair with a hair tie, quickly braiding it into one long braid in the back that reached my lower back. What...? My hair is long...

"Are you done yet?" Ice impatiently inquired, and his sigh fogged up the window slightly.

"No, I'm completely naked, obviously." I rolled my eyes, being completely sarcastic.

"What?!" Ice violently choked on air, making sure not to turn and look.

I just stared at him with a deadpanned glare. "Seriously? It was a joke. A JOKE."

Ice reluctantly tore his eyes away from the window and looked over at me. "Oh. I knew that."

"No you didn't." I rolled my eyes, looking down at my phone in my hands. I was typing the address into my GPS maps so I'd be able to find my way back at the end of the night.

"What are you doing...?" Ice asked, looking at my phone.

"Pulling up a map so I don't get lost on my way back." I answered, not tearing my eyes away from the phone.

"What? Don't be ridiculous." Ice snatched my phone out of my hands, turning off the GPS. "Just text me when you're done, and I'll come get you." He plopped my phone back into my hand.

I just shot him a weird look. "Are you sure...? I can just walk, y'know."

"Yes, I'm sure." Ice sighed. "There's no way I'm letting you walk all the way from Pueltown back to the Ranger School in the middle of the night..." He shook his head at me as if I was a complete dolt. "I've got your back, even if I think what you're doing is completely ridiculous and unnecessary..."

"Well..." I stared straight ahead. "I guess that's what makes you different than me." I shot him a sideways glance, folding my hands into my lap. "...thanks, by the way."

"No problem." Ice let out a stressed sigh. "I assume you're doing this for a reason that will actually benefit your plan to con Keith, right?"

I just sweatdropped. "...sure. Let's go with that."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"I think this is important, so you'll just have to trust me!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"...glad we agree, then."

"And by agree you mean calling me in the middle of the night to break you out of a boarding school and sneak you back in for no particular reason."

"Oh shut up."

We were dead silent for the remaining five minutes of the car ride. Ice's driver drove up to the street way out in front of the gargantuan twin mansions that were built right next to one another, and I immediately was able to determine the mansion on the left was the Gram Bell estate, meaning that Keith's place was the one on the right.

I cracked the car door open very slightly and slipped through the small crack in the door. "I'll see you in a bit, Ice."

"Don't get caught."

"I never do."

**Click!**

I softly shut the car door, then watched silently as the black limousine drove away. I was easily 200 yards away from the front door to the mansion, but being this far away was definitely necessary, given the fact that I somehow have to sneek past all of the security with no plan in advance.

A wrought iron and marble fence surrounded the entire estate, which connected to the fence that entrapped Keith's estate. Keith's estate was the more glamorous of the two, but they were both so fantastic they were beyond my imagination. Out front of Isaac's front gate were two security guards, and several more were patrolling the perimeter. Security cameras were placed all over the yard, and small spotlights of light traced the ground of the mansion, looking for intruders...like me.

I immediately took off running towards the left side of the mansion, making sure not to make a sound. I climbed up one tree and leapt from branch to branch on the trees that framed the outside of the fence, that way I was up in the air and out of the security guards's lines of sight. When I saw one window in particular on the east wall of the mansion with its light on, I had a hinting suspicion it was to Melody's bedroom. I leapt from the tree I was standing in onto the marble part of the fence that was just wide enough for me to stand on. I quietly ran along the fence that was twelve feet in the air, passing by a few security guards without them seeing me along the way. I soon found myself standing twenty yards away from the window, directly in front of it. The pink curtains and pink interior of the room that I could see from here reassured me that of who the bedroom belonged to, and I quickly jumped over the fence and began sprinting towards it.

I looked left, then right. I probably have about two minutes and thirty seconds before I'm spotted. I quickly grabbed a few pebbles off of the ground and started lightly bouncing them off of Melody's window, and I waited for her to take notice.

After about thirty seconds, the figure of a little girl came into view. She stared down at me, then gasped.

Melody opened the window, then stared down at me in shock. "Big...sister? What are you doing here?!"

"There's no time to explain!" I whisper-shouted to her, paranoidly glancing around me. "Can I come up?"

"Well, yeah..." Melody looked to the side. "...but I don't have rope or anything for you to climb up with."

"There's no need for that." I reassured. "Open up that window further and get out of the way!"

Melody did as I asked, and I quickly latched on to the side of the house and started climbing. Lucky for me, the sides of the house were decorated by lattice covered in vines, which was perfect for me to use as a ladder. I carefully climbed up to the second story and sat up on the window sill, then slid into Melody's room and shut the window behind me.

Melody stood in the middle of her pink-themed bedroom and stared at me in shock.

I drew the curtains and quickly started to explain myself. "You seemed really upset earlier, so I came to check on you." I sat down in a chair at her desk right next to where she was standing.

Melody took a seat on her bed. "Whoa... No one has ever done something like that for me."

I just sweatdropped. "Well, that's because besides me there's probably no one in this world crazy enough to do something like that..."

That made Melody giggle. "Oh! Hehe..." She smiled, then ushered me to come sit next to her. "You can come sit here if you want."

I just shrugged my shoulders and sat down next to Melody, trying not to die from how pink and girly everything was. "Alright. So, tell me about these kids that are picking on you."

Melody frowned. "They just don't...like me." She crossed her arms across her chest tightly. "They're always saying that I'm a spoiled little brat, and that I'm privileged, or something like that..." She trailed off.

"Hmm." I pressed my index finger to my lips. "Well, have you tried to stand up for yourself?" I asked her.

Melody shot me the weirdest look ever. "Stand up for myself...? I... I can't do that..."

"Why not?" I interjected, a little irritated. "Why can't you stand up for yourself?"

Melody sighed, then stared down at the floor. "I'm scared they'll just pick on me more..."

"Nonsense." I shook my head, crossing my arms. "If you stand up for yourself right, they won't get meaner. They'll back off and leave you alone."

Melody warily looked up at my blue eyes. "What makes you so sure?"

My confidence was slightly smothered, and Melody noticed. "I was once in your shoes."

Melody's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Really?"

I just sweatdropped, having slight flashbacks of my tough times at the orphanages. Those kids there were just horrible to me, which is probably why I got fed up and ran away when I was nine. "Yes... Why is that so shocking to you?"

"Well..." Melody was trying to figure out how to put it into words. "You're just super pretty, and really cool! I don't know why anyone wouldn't like you."

I felt a slight blush creep up on my face at hearing that. I'm...cool? Well. That's a first.

"Well..." I trailed off a little, awkwardly scratching the back of my head. "I have more bad qualities than good." I sighed, disappointed in myself. "Like, I have a really bad temper... Also, I have trouble communicating what I really feel, and I'm terrified of commitment and relationships... The list just goes on and on." I sighed again.

Melody seemed to ignore all of that and just butted right into my explanation. "But you have a good heart."

...

What?

Now it was my turn to stare at her with a wide-eyed expression. "What...?"

"You do!" Melody smiled brightly at me, catching me off guard. "You just met me, and you came all the way over here just to see if I was ok!" Melody abruptly hugged me, catching me off guard. "You're the best big sister EVER! Thanks for coming to see me! It gets really lonely without big brother sometimes..."

I suddenly felt myself awkwardly wrapping my arms around the kid currently hugging me. "Uh-umm... No...problem." I stared down at the little girl, and I couldn't keep the smile that was creeping up onto my lips off of my face. I found myself absentmindedly running my fingers through her long blonde hair, enduring the vice-grip hug she was giving me. "Now, here's what you do about those bullies..."

* * *

I ended up staying with Melody a few more hours than I had intended, coaching her on how to stand up for herself. We spent the whole time together laughing and enjoying ourselves, having a pretty good time.

You know, maybe kids aren't so bad as I once thought.

"So how did it go?" Ice asked me, stepping into the limousine once again and shutting the car door.

As we began to drive off back towards the Ranger School, I stared straight ahead as I spoke. "Pretty good. I got done what it was that I wanted to accomplish."

Ice stared at me for a good minute. "Rena, I'm starting to worry about you." Well, that caught my attention. I turned to look at Ice, and a little worry was written across his face. "You're acting recklessly, and I'm worried you're growing soft because this job is getting to you."

I just scoffed. "Don't be stupid, I'm not growing soft. This job is not getting to me." Well, at least I think it's not...

Ice didn't really seem to buy it. "I'm just worried about what the boss will do if you fail him."

I just gulped. "Well... That's exactly why I'm not going to fail."

Ice's eyes grew wide in shock. "...so you're still going through with the job?"

"Of course." I turned my head to look at him, being completely serious. "That was the plan in the first place, after all."

Although I really don't want to hurt Keith and the others, there is just this one thought in the back of my mind that's really bugging me...

I'm definitely in way too deep to back out now.

* * *

**^-^ done~! Even when sick, I still write for you guys. You're lucky I love you all XD**

**Guess what?**

**...this book is exactly 1/2 over 0-0**

**XD... I started writing it a month ago, and half the book is finished. Damn.**

**Well, time to get back to writing for me!**

**Read, review, and enjoy ^-^**


	21. Chapter 21: Only You

**(Third Person POV)**

"WHAT?! YOU'RE KIDDING!"

"OH COME ON! MR. KINCAID, THAT'S NOT FAIR! I DID NOTHING! IT WAS ALL KEITH'S FAULT!"

"HEY, RENA! DON'T JUST RAT ME OUT LIKE THAT!"

"IF IT MEANS I DON'T HAVE TO BE STUCK WITH YOU IN DETENTION FOR SIX HOURS I WILL SO DO IT!"

"TRAITOR!"

"JERK!"

"KNOW-IT-ALL!"

"CONDESCENDING PRICK!"

"SCREW YOU, BLUE EYES!"

"STUPID PRINCE CHARMING!"

"CHILDREN, SILENCE!" Mr. Kincaid growled at the two students at a loud volume, placing his hands on their shoulders and forcibly separating them from each other. "You are BOTH going to detention and right NOW!"

"Aww..." Keith sulked his shoulders just a little bit. "It was just a little prank, Mr. Kincaid, honestly!" Keith held his hands up in defense. "I didn't mean for it to get this out of hand!"

Mr. Kincaid did not look amused as he flashed Keith a piercing glare. "Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you did this to my classroom." Mr. Kincaid rested his hand on the doorknob and slowly twisted it, pushing the door open for the two students to see.

Both the eighteen and seventeen-year-old sweatdropped at the sight of the destroyed classroom. An ink bomb that Keith had hooked up to the classroom's ceiling fan had exploded prematurely and got out of hand, covering the entire classroom in black Tentacruel ink instead of just Mr. Kincaid's desk, which was the intended target (hence the 'intended' part). Mr. Kincaid had immediately decided it was either Keith or Rena who pulled this prank, and he really didn't care too much to find out which one of them actually did it, so he just decided to punish both of them. Even though he was supposed to be working with Deveraux, that didn't necessarily mean he had to like her. And besides, in Kincaid's mind, he saw this as an oppertunity for the two to bond, so in the end he technically was supporting the mission.

"Here." Mr. Kincaid handed both teens a bucket with water and wash cloths, wearing a twistedly amused smirk across his face. "Have fun cleaning up my classroom for the next several hours. I expect it to be spotless by the time you're done."

Both teens let out a groan of protest before trudging into the ruined classroom. Mr. Kincaid took a seat at his surprisingly untouched desk, half paying attention to the students cleaning up his classroom. And by half paying attention, I mean he wasn't paying attention at all, since he could care less.

Keith started on the desks, while Rena began mopping up the floor. In all of her years of thieving, training, and fighting, she had never come across a punishment that was something like...this.

Rena shot Keith a resentful glare. "This is all your fault," she sneered at him.

"Well sorry for getting you dragged into this, Princess Blue Eyes." Keith threw his immediate sarcasm right in her face, snapping at her ever so slightly.

Both teens clicked their tongues in disgust at the other, dwelling in their bitter moods. Hours passed by slowly, and the ink wasn't getting cleaned up very easily. It mostly just got spread around when the two teens tried to wipe it up, so their cleaning process was slowed down by this tremendously.

"This...is brutal." Rena glared down at the floor she was trying to desperately clean, letting out a harsh sigh.

"Tell me about it." Keith rolled his eyes, scoffing a little.

Keith and Rena exchanged an awkward moment of eye contact before turning away from each other and resuming their bitter hostility towards each other.

Keith grumbled incoherent thoughts inside his mind, violently trying to get the ink off of this one desk. _"Why won't this damn stuff come off?!"_ Keith screamed inside of his mind.

Suddenly, a second wash cloth plopped itself down onto the desk he was trying to clean, and a second pair of hands began helping him clean the desk.

"Here." Rena bitterly started to wash the ink off the desk Keith was struggling to clean. "Let me help you." She had finished cleaning the floor about an hour ago.

Keith just stared at her in complete shock for a moment before immediately jerking his eyes away from her. "...thanks." He didn't understand why she was helping him, since she was only here because of him in the first place. Keith found himself stealing a glance at the girl standing next to him through his red spiky hair that fell in front of his eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because you suck at this." Rena curtly answered his question breathlessly, not even having to think about it for a second.

Keith just sweatdropped. "Aha...hah...yeah..." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he compared their progress of cleaning the classroom. "I guess you could say I was never really exposed to this sort of stuff..."

Rena had cleaned the floor and half the walls, and Keith had successfully cleaned off two desks.

Two desks.

"Ah, right." Rena bitterly nodded in understanding. "Because you had maids for that 'sort of stuff.'" She repeated what he had reffered to cleaning as at the end of her sentence.

Keith cringed a little at her harsh tone. "...yeah. I'm not used to getting my hands dirty, I guess, so I don't really know how to..."

Rena stopped cleaning for a second to shoot him a bitter sideways glance. "Well that much was obvious."

Keith awkwardly grinned at her, trying not to die under that deathly glare of hers. If looks could kill... Well, let's just say Rena would have killed him by now if they could.

"Well..." Keith awkwardly got back to cleaning, trying to move the spotlight off of him. "You seem to be doing pretty well with all of this." Keith pointed to the half-cleaned classroom.

Rena stopped scrubbing an ink spot off of the desk just long enough to stare at Keith blankly. "Yeah, well not all of us were born into privilege, and a lot of us had to work hard for everything we got." Rena's hostility was growing with each passing second, but Keith noticed she managed to remain passive-agressive about it.

He could tell that she resented him a little for being born into a rich family, and that she had felt this way since he first told her about his family. He wasn't sure why, but he figured it had something to do with her home life. Her resentment was understandable, of course, so Keith didn't ever take it personally. Although, if this was anyone other than Rena talking to him like this, he probably would've lost his temper and punched them in the face by now.

"Yeah, I know." He stupidly forced out some sort of reply. "I'm guessing you were one of those people?"

Rena finished wiping off the desk and moved over to the next one, and Keith followed her lead by starting to clean it with her. "Yeah, I was, and I still am."

"Hmm." Keith grunted, showing that he understood.

Rena felt his eyes on her, and the tips of her ears grew red with embarrassment under his gaze. "What?" She awkwardly snapped at him, trying to figure out why he was staring at her. She didn't know why, but him staring at her just made Rena feel...uncomfortable.

"Nothing." Keith casually shrugged it off. "Just wondering why you never talk about your family, or your life before you came to this school."

Keith had no idea how big of a nerve he struck with those simple words.

"Probably because it's none of your damn business." Rena angrily snapped at him with fire in her eyes, glaring at him as fiercely as she could. She was so blinded by her anger that she didn't even stop to consider how that might backfire later.

Keith just stared at her in shock, not tearing his eyes from hers. Normally, he probably would've been intimidated by this glare, but it was because he looked into her eyes that he wasn't intimidated by it. Reflected in her angry blue eyes were years of suffering from pain, bottling up hate, having to endure countless rejection, and...a scared little girl not knowing what to do.

Keith didn't see an angry Rena standing before him, he saw a scared little girl version of Rena with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Rena, are you alright?" Keith reached out to rub his thumb over her cheek without giving it much thought, noticing the tears welling up in her eyes.

Rena jerked her face out of Keith's hand, shivering slightly from his touch. "Just peachy." Keith opened his mouth to say something else, but Rena beat him to it. "Just drop it, okay? I don't want to talk about it." She felt her heart beat quicken, and the redness from her ears travelled down to her cheeks and her neck.

Keith worriedly glanced at her before going back to scrubbing the desk. "Alright, I'll drop it..." He paused, then looked at her from the side. "But if you ever want to talk about it, just tell me."

"Fine." Rena scrubbed the ink off the desk even harder, trying to drown out her panicked thoughts by working as hard as she could.

The two worked in complete silence for the next two hours. Keith would occasionally shoot Rena a worried glance, which didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. She felt her face get hot every time she saw him worrying about her. Why the hell was it so hot in this damn classroom?! She didn't understand why she was so angry and fidgety. Well, she had an idea about the anger, but not the whole being fidgety part. She had a hard time staying still, so even after they finished cleaning the classroom and had an hour or so left of detention to serve, she didn't sit still the entire time. Keith's constant eyes on her just kept freaking her out internally, and she had to keep moving around in order to try and calm herself down.

Her initial thoughts about this job were way off and completely wrong. Rena thought befriending these three idiots and conning Keith out of that stupid damn blueprint would be super easy and a big payout since she had a Wailord of a client, but the reality of her situation dawned on her. They weren't idiots, they were...her friends.

Yes, her friends. All three of them were her friends, and not her 'fake' friends like she had convinced herself that was all that they were to her, but real friends. Real, honest friends who cared and worried about her.

Rhythimi was the best girl friend she had always wished she had back at Castelia's orphanage for girls. She had been so lonely in that place, and she always wanted a friend as exciting and cheery as Rhythimi to brighten her spirits. Rhythimi always could tell what Rena was feeling, and she was one of the few who could successfully talk her out of upper-cutting someone for being a bastard. Rhythimi was one of the sole reasons Rena had managed to stay out of so many fights while at this school. Rena felt like she could tell Rhythimi anything. Although she was an evil match-making demon and a crazy love-sick girl, she was still insanely smart and worthy of being called Rena's best friend. Rena decided she would need to tell her that at some point.

Isaac was the best little nerd friend she could ever ask for. He was awkward and shy, and he actually reminded Rena of her childhood self. She had always buried herself in books as a kid to get her mind off of the cruel reality that was her life, drowning herself in knowledge. Because of that, Rena had been strictly logic-based when it came to her thoughts and reasoning, which made her initially come off as emotionally detached and rude. But, Isaac never saw her that way. He welcomed her with open arms, and he even partnered up with her for several experiments and labs, making Rena feel included in something for the first time in her life. They were both intellectuals and crazy smart, which was why they got along so well. Not to mention she admired his relationship with his little sister Melody, who Rena completely adored, even though such an emotion completely went against her nature.

And then there was Keith. Rena had no idea where to even start when it came to the stupid, hot-headed red-head. He was competitive, flirty, and arrogant, but also the one she was closest to at this school, which was pretty ironic given her situation. It was her job to be closest to him, but somewhere along the way, Rena screwed up and actually got pretty close to Keith for real. She didn't have to pretend around him anymore like she did when she first started the job, and she could actually share what she was feeling. She could talk to Keith about anything, and he always had this way of cheering her up. No matter what she said or did, he could always tell when she was upset, and he would force it out of her one way or another. And then of course he always made her feel weird pretty much constantly. He'd worry and care about her, which made her stomach do flip-flops on a daily basis. Rena didn't understand it. It could be something as simple as trying to calm her down by rubbing his thumb over her cheek (like today), and she'd immediately flare up and start burning up with a fever. She didn't understand, and perhaps she never would.

She had told Ice that she was going to go through with the job, but what Ice didn't know was that she had flat out lied to him. Years of practice made her pretty good at lying to people's faces.

"I've got to find some way to get out of this..." Rena muttered to herself, staring down at her feet on the floor. "I should have a decent amount of cash to retire and take care of the two of us..." Her mind flashed to Mightyena, then remembered just how much food that wolf-Pokemon devoured on a daily basis. "Alright, so maybe I'll have to sell my gun-smuggling ring to pull it off, but that should be enough to take care of this whole thing, right?"

She had made her decision.

Keith stared across the room at Rena, noticing she was deep in thought. She seemed worried about something, but he didn't know what. Rena was also muttering things out loud, but he was too far away to hear what she said. He couldn't stop staring at her the whole time, worrying that she was worried about something. He wanted to make her problems his problems, but he wasn't sure why. This was Keith Dazzle for Arceus's sake! He didn't have to worry about anything, or anyone but himself!

And yet, he found himself wanting to.

Mr. Kincaid was so bored out of his mind that he was actually playing trash-ket-ball with his trash can and balled up pieces of paper. After doing this for a few hours, he got bored of it pretty quickly, so the teacher picked up the remote and turned on the TV. He flipped the channels until he found the stock reports, noticing that they currently were having a special insider on Altru Inc.'s stocks at present.

The news reporter excitedly announced the rise in stocks for the company, which broke the silence of the classroom. _"This morning, Altru Inc.'s stocks spiked in value tremendously after the President and CEO of the company Blake Hall gave a speech on his new creation: Dream Energy! This new power source is looking to replace both electricity AND oil! Can you believe that?! The company is looking to expand, and they are currently looking for spots across Almia to build their new HQ! Nothing has been decided yet, but they're looking into making Pueltown_ _their main base of operations! Altru Inc.'s 'Dream Energy' is still being researched, but it looks like it will be finalized in the next year give or take..."_

The television program immediately caught Rena's attention, snapping her from her thoughts. She remembered hearing a little about Altru Inc, but she didn't know much.

The brunette turned around to look up at the TV screen as she directed her question to Mr. Kincaid. "Mr. Kincaid, what's Altru Inc...?"

Mr. Kincaid flinched at Rena's voice suddenly disturbing his peace and quiet. "Ah, Miss Deveraux." Mr. Kincaid turned around in his desk chair to look at the curious student before him. "I'm surprised you don't know. Then again, you're not from this region, which is where Altru is strictly based and involved in its business..."

"It's some sort of energy company, right?" Rena asked, making sure she had her facts straight. It's not like she really cared, she was just so bored that she wanted to think about anything but the job right now.

"Correct." Mr. Kincaid seemed amused that she knew that. "Altru is a research facility always looking to find new types of energy sources that can benefit both the environment and economy, hence the 'Dream Energy' they said they were currently developing." Mr. Kincaid shrugged. "The makeup of this new energy source hasn't been released to the public yet, since it's still being developed, but it's supposedly going to replace electricity and oil within the next year or two." Mr. Kincaid concluded. "Which is kind of ironic, since Altru started out as an oil company, and also the very first oil company in Almia."

"Oh, cool." Rena nodded her head, enjoying the distraction that kept herself from pulling her subconcious back into her thoughts.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

A sudden knock at the door made both student and the teacher turn their heads to see who it was, and surprisingly, Isaac poked his head inside the classroom.

He simply shook his head at the sight of Keith and Rena in here, not surprised at all that they were serving Saturday detention. He then looked over at Mr. Kincaid, gaining his attention. "Mr. Kincaid? That prototype for that extra credit project you assigned me is complete. I wasn't sure if you wanted to test it now, or..."

Mr. Kincaid immediately shot up from his chair. "Oh, yes! I will definitely test it out right now." He hurriedly walked over to Isaac, nearly forgetting about the two troublemakers he was leaving behind. "Ah, you two." Mr. Kincaid looked at Keith and Rena before stepping out the door. "Don't go anywhere. I should be back within the hour."

**SLAM!**

**Ker-chunk**

And with that, both the prissy teacher and boy genius were gone, and Mr. Kincaid made sure to lock the door behind them.

Rena exhaled in relief. "Finally, Hairspray Head is gone."

Keith couldn't help but laugh at that comment. "Yeah, I didn't think he'd ever leave."

Rena immediately looked up at the ceiling and got to work. She spotted an air vent towards the middle of the classroom, and she leapt up onto a desk right below it. This had Keith intrigued, and he got up from where he was sitting and stood next to Rena on the ground.

"What're you doing?" He shot her the weirdest look ever, completely confused.

Rena looked at Keith as if he was stupid or something (which he was). "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting us out of here." She slipped a hair pin out of her hair and started to remove the screws from the air vent, letting them fall to the floor beneath her feet.

Keith just laughed at that, then jumped up onto the desk and started helping her out. "You know, Blue Eyes? I think you're easily the strangest girl I've ever met." He shook his head at her.

Rena shot him a sheepish look, sweatdropping a little. "You have no idea..."

The two shared a laugh before Rena leaned back a little too far, nearly losing her balance. Keith immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, staring down at the shorter girl's face with a smirk stretched across his lips. "Don't go falling for me now."

Rena groaned and rolled her eyes at the corny joke. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Keith found his eyes lingering on Rena, still holding her in place in his arms. And that was when the damning realization crashed on him; he finally realized why he cared and worried about her so much while staring into her beautiful blue eyes that were so full of life and mystery. _"God, I'm so screwed..."_ He thought to himself, unconsciously flashing Rena a charming smile.

Rena felt the tips of her ears begin to turn red again, and she immediately removed herself from Keith's arms, standing back up straight and taking off the rather large grate that covered the air vent.

Keith looked up at their escape route, then shot Rena an amused, sideways glance. "You know, detention today wasn't so bad. I actually had a pretty good time."

Rena got ready to climb into the vent, but before she did, she suddenly couldn't resist the urge to stop and flash Keith a genuine smile. "...I did too."

* * *

**...**

**I'm absolutely horrible for taking this long to update. I'm sorry! Uh, happy Easter XD...?**

***suddenly starts getting pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables***

**I SAID I WAS SORRY!**

***sweatdrop* Uh, enjoy the chapter filled with FabricationOfLiesShipping fluff and Keith coming to terms XD...?**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	22. Chapter 22: Heartbreak

**(Third Person POV)**

**~Flashback Sequence~**

_"Umm, Daddy?" The little nine-year-old girl blinked in her seat at the kitchen island, raising her head up to look at the tall man before her._

_A tall man with short black hair and dark blue eyes in his mid-twenties turned around to look at the little girl he had met one week prior, now alert. "Yes, Rena?"_

_Rena dropped her eyes to the counter, kicking her legs that hung down from the stool she was sitting on. "Why did you take me in?"_

_Sam Monroe, the notorious world-class thief renowned for his heartless and emotionally-detached behavior, felt his gaze falter. He couldn't help but smile happily at the little girl he had already grown to adore so much. "Well, Rena, it's because you remind me of myself when I was your age."_

_"I do?" Rena blinked at him curiously, slowly sitting up straight all of a sudden. _

_"Yes." He smiled, then ruffled her shoulder-length brown hair. "Just like you, I didn't have any parents to take care of me. I grew up in a dojo with my Sensei, who was the one who taught me everything I know."_

_Rena just stared at him very shocked. "And you want me, of all the little girls out there, to be your daughter...?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at the floor. "Why don't you just pick someone better..."_

_Sam smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes, gently making Rena look up at him. "Rena, do you remember how we met?"_

_Rena grimaced, then sweatdropped. "...I...tried to...pick-pocket you..." She awkwardly scratched the back of her head. _

_Sam just cracked up at the sheepish look on her face, and he ruffled her hair again. "Yes, you did. And do you remember what I said to you?"_

_Rena shuffled in her seat. "When you found me in that alley after I pick-pocketed you, you turned around and looked at me and said, 'I'm insulted that you managed to pick-pocket me so horribly,' and you grabbed my hand that held your wallet..." Rena sweatdropped again. _

_"Don't you see?" Sam smiled at the little girl. "There is no one better than you, Rena."_

_She was so caught off guard by the compliment that she didn't know what to say, and she just dropped her jaw. "...h-how...?"_

_Sam patted her on the head, annoying the girl by messing up her hair again. "Because you've got guts." He grinned at her. "You ran away from your orphanage at age nine and tried to live off on the streets by yourself; that takes guts, Princess."_

_Rena cracked a teensy smile at the amount of respect Sam held for her. "So, Sensei..." She caught her mistake and quickly corrected herself. "I mean, Daddy, what exactly do you do...?"_

_Sam stiffened just slightly, and his eyes darkened. "Well, Rena... Unlike most adults, my job isn't exactly...legal."_

_Her eyes couldn't help but widen in shock. "Wait, really? What is it?" Rena's curiosity got the best of her once again. _

_"I'm a world-class thief." Sam smirked, watching as a little Poochyena trotted into the room and jumped up onto the kitchen island. He started petting the Pokemon Rena had brought with her when Sam had unofficially adopted Rena. _

_"Whoa..." Rena stared at him, completely amazed. "You are?"_

_Sam simply nodded his head yes. "I steal specific items requested by my clients, art from museums to sell on the black market, and I currently run my own gun-smuggling ring across four international borders." He smirked, proud of his achievements. _

_"That's so cool!" Rena slapped her hands on the sides of her face. "I wish I could do cool stuff like that!"_

_Sam was slightly surprised by her statement, but not entirely. "Well, since you're my daughter now, I have absolutely no problem with teaching you how to be a thief..." He smiled at her with the smile she loved so much. _

_Rena's eyes grew wide with delighted surprise as she enveloped Sam in a tight hug around his neck. "Yay! I want to be just like you, Daddy!"_

_Sam hugged her back and carefully pulled away from the hug with a serious look on his face. "Now, Rena. When it comes to being a thief, there are some risks you must take."_

_"Like what?" Rena blinked up at him, cuddling Poochyena in her arms. _

_Sam gritted his teeth slightly. "Well, for one, you could get caught and have to go to prison."_

_The thought did scare Rena, but she wasn't too worried. As long as she had her father, she'd be fine, right? "Okay... What else?"_

_Sam mulled it over for a moment. "Being a thief doesn't just involve stealing the object, it also means sometimes you must con someone out of the object you're going to steal." He started to explain to Rena, who was attentively listening. "This means that you must make yourself completely emotionally-detached when it comes to any job, and also in general. It's best to ignore your emotions and try to feel the least amount of them as possible."_

_Rena felt a little crushed that she wouldn't be able to feel very much, but she complied. "Okay, I can do that."_

_Sam smiled, then patted her on the head. "Don't worry. You can still be yourself when it's just us at home."_

_Rena sighed in relief, which caused Sam to chuckle ever so slightly. "Was that all?" She asked, staring at Sam brightly. _

_"Just...one more thing. This is the hardest one." Sam wore a grim look on his face. "Rena, once you agree to this and start your career as a thief, there's no stopping. You must continue to outrun the law your whole life, which means...you can never have a family."_

_Rena blinked once, twice. "Never...?"_

_"Never." Sam shook his head. "If you had a family, you would be putting them at constant risk. Being an international world-class thief and a grifter causes you to develop enemies, which can sometimes put both you and your family at risk of being killed." He was completely serious. "The worst thing you can possibly do as a thief is to back out of a job, which in some cases can get you killed."_

_Rena gulped nervously. "Oh..."_

_Sam worriedly glanced at her, and he held her small hand in his tightly. "Rena, are you really okay with going down this path...?"_

_Rena stayed completely silent for a moment before abruptly snapping her head up to look at her father. "It's okay, I never really liked boys anyways."_

_The statement was so funny and random that Sam couldn't help but bust out laughing, and Rena and Poochyena were quick to join in. _

_Sam hugged Rena, smiling as he buried his face in her hair. "Don't worry, Princess. As long as you've got me, you already have a family."_

_Rena scooped up Poochyena so he could join in on the group hug. "And you're all the family I need."_

* * *

**~End of Flashback Sequence~**

Rena stared blankly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, trying to prevent tears from welling up in her eyes at the forgotten memory.

_"You must make yourself completely emotionally-detached when it comes to any job, and also in general."_

_"It's best to ignore your emotions and try to feel the least amount of them as possible."_

_"The worst thing you can possibly do as a thief is to back out of a job."_

"I'm sorry, father..." One stray tear dropped down Rena's cheek. "I have failed you..."

Rena reached behind her back and tugged her shirt down in the back just enough so that she could catch a glimpse of her tattoo in the mirror. It was a large, rainbow-colored butterfly tattoo that took up most of her upper back. No one but Mightyena knew that she had this tattoo. She'd had it since she was fourteen years old.

It was to symbolize transformation, her transformation. Her transformation from the apprentice to the master. She got this tattoo to symbolize taking over as master, and to honor her father.

It's also what her name meant. 'Rena' means to be 'reborn.'

Rena couldn't take it anymore, and she quietly left the bathroom and tip-toed past a snoring Eevee and Rhythimi, making her way toward her dorm's front door. She quietly snuck out and into the night, trying to find somewhere peaceful she could think. Somewhere away. Rena crept through the dark hallways and walked down the stairs, heading outside. She didn't even really realize that she was making her way towards Ascension Square before she was already halfway down the stairs.

Although, she wasn't alone.

Poor Rena had no idea what she was about to witness when she reached the bottom of the steps, and by the time that she did, it was already too late.

Rena felt her heart explode and shatter into a million pieces as she stared at the sight in shock, completely frozen in place. Her heart had been completely broken in an instant.

Down at the pier was Keith and some girl Rena didn't recognize, and they were both...kissing each other.

Neither Keith or the girl noticed a heartbroken Rena run away as fast as she possibly could, sniffling and choking back sobs.

* * *

**Just when we thought things were calming down and going back to normal, another plot twist arrives...with a teeny cliffhanger. **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	23. Chapter 23: The Internship

**XD XD XD I am sooooo sorry for leaving you guys with that terrible cliffhanger. I'm the worst, aren't I?**

**Well, to make up for breaking the hearts of all of you FabricationOfLiesShippers (which is a freaking lot of people, given all the hate comments I received on the last chapter), I wrote this super shippy and significant-to-the-plot chapter that is also hella long. You're welcome.**

**This chapter explains what happened that night from Keith's POV, and I think you guys will be pleasantly surprised to find out what _really_ happened!**

**WARNING: this chapter contains lots of foul language. Proceed at your own risk. (It's really not that bad, but I guess some would beg to differ)**

**Uh, read, review, and don't kill me?**

* * *

**(Keith's POV)**

"That's...weird." Rhythimi squared her eyebrows at me, sitting next to me in the Commons Room. "So she just, like...planted one on you?"

"...yeah." I cringed a little while recalling last night, shaking my head slightly. Buizel sat in my lap, and he just gave me the same look Rhyth was. "She totally caught me off guard."

* * *

**~The Previous Night~**

I stared at the note in my hand left on my door for me tonight as I made my way down to Ascension Square, reading it over again in my mind. _"Keith, please meet me down in Ascension Square at 10pm after curfew. -Amanda."_

"What the heck does she want?" I rose an eyebrow at the note again, super confused.

When I had reached the bottom step that was illuminated by the moonlight beaming down on the ground, I spotted a silhouette standing in front of the pier. As I got closer, the silhouette's features became more defined, and I soon could make out Amanda's short blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Amanda?" I quietly spoke her name out loud, and she immediately turned around and showed her face. "Hey, what's up?"

"Oh, Keith!" Amanda nearly jumped with surprise when she noticed I was here, and her voice grew shaky. "O-oh... I-it's just, I-I wanted to talk to you about something."

I just rose an eyebrow at her, a little confused. "Oh-kay...?"

"So, you see..." Amanda quickly began losing her confidence. "It's just that I, uh... Well, I...you... Keith, I just... I've felt this way for awhile, but I just..."

I quickly grew impatient with this girl, since she wasn't making any sense. "Amanda, what are you trying to say?"

As if she had no other way of explaining herself, Amanda placed her hands on my face and stood up on her tip-toes to match my height, crushing her lips into mine. I could faintly hear the sound of leaves rustling and some sort of Pokemon scampering away, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

My eyes grew wide with horror, and I quickly pushed her off of me. "Whoa, Amanda!"

Amanda looked crestfallen, but also apologetic. "I'm sorry, I was out of line..."

Ah. Now I get it...

"Look, Amanda..." I started to say, but she quickly beat me to it and cut me off.

"It's her, isn't it?" She smiled through her pain, asking me the question. "You like that girl Rena Deveraux, right?"

My cheeks reddened immediately, caught off guard by her question. Well, there was no point in lying to her. "Yeah, I... I do." I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply with relief due to saying it out loud for the first time. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Amanda smiled sadly, then turned to leave. "I understand. It's just that I've always believed that it's better to regret something you've done rather than something you haven't done at all." She paused, turning to look at me one last time. "Heed that advice for me, okay?"

And with that, she left, and I watched her somberly walk away.

"What the hell just happened?" I ran a hand through my spiky red hair before returning to my dorm room.

* * *

"That's just...weird." Rhythimi shook her head, sighing a little.

"I know." I agreed with her, trying to ignore the awkward silence wedged between us.

...

"I mean, it's you." Rhythimi half glared at me with confusion. "Who the heck would like you?" She bluntly stated her opinion, stabbing my ego with a knife.

I felt like I just got punched in the chest, but Buizel couldn't stop laughing. "Thanks...?" I sarcastically looked at her, unsure how to respond.

"It's gotta be because you're rich or something." She concluded, shrugging her shoulders.

Her words felt like someone smashed a sheet of glass over my head. "Ouch... That's cold." Buizel rolled out of my lap and onto the floor, cracking up.

"I mean, because, you're a huge jerk." Rhythimi added onto the insult unknowingly. "You're stubborn, have a crazy temper, you're super arrogant, conceited, selfish, reckless..."

I grew too impatient and angry to keep listening to her. "Okay, okay, I get it!" I quickly cut her off, slapping my hand over her mouth.

Rhythimi yanked my hand off of her mouth and regained her composure in a huff, dusting off her skirt. "Humph. Anyways, like I was about to say, the only girl I could ever see legitimately falling for you is Rena..."

"Wait what?" I didn't let her finish, immediately staring at Rhythimi intently, speaking way too fast and hyper for comprehension. "Rena? Why? Why do you say that? Has she said something to you? You just listed a whole lot of reasons why girls shouldn't like me, so what makes you say..."

"Whoa, whoa!" Rhythimi laughed, pushing me away from her slightly. "Calm down, would you? I don't see why you're so interested in Rena all of a...oh. My. GOD!" Rhythimi's eyes widened when the crushing realization dawned on her. "You like Re...MFFF!"

I quickly covered her mouth with my hands, smothering her speech mid sentence. "Say another word and I'll figure out a really embarrassing way to tell Isaac you've been crushing on him since we were ten."

I let go of Rhythimi when she nodded her head despite her groan of annoyance. Somehow, her Eevee, who had been sleeping in her lap that whole time, hadn't woken up from all of the commotion. "Fine, I won't tell my best friend that you like her." Rhythimi huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "But only if you promise to tell her yourself. And soon."

"Fine, I promise." I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms across my chest bitterly. Buizel stared at me skeptically, not really buying that I was going to tell Rena the truth.

Suddenly, the intercom above us turned on, and Ms. April's voice came on with an announcements._ "Students, your partners and locations for your internships today have been posted in the cafeteria. Departure time is in half an hour, so please make haste and get ready for this exciting day!"_

**Click!**

Internships...? Oh crap...

"Don't tell me you forgot?" Rhythimi smirked knowingly in my direction, already off the couch and walking towards the stairs with a sleeping Eevee in her arms.

"It's not that I forgot..." I scampered up off the couch and grabbed Buizel, running to catch up and follow her down the stairs. "...it's just that I forgot."

Rhythimi laughed sarcastically. "That doesn't even make sense!"

We dissolved into the huge wave of students crowding around the Cafeteria doors with our respected Pokemon, pushing and shoving our way to the lists posted on the walls. Everyone was frantically skimming the list for their last names posted, trying to see who they were partnered up with and where they were going. Some cheered and were excited, while others weren't so lucky and groaned in annoyance. I, however, couldn't be happier with my assignment.

Keith Jeremy Dazzle: Vientown Ranger Base - Rena Arisa Deveraux.

I smirked triumphantly to myself, even more excited about how this day would inevitably turn out. Partnered up with Rena for an internship together? I have no complaints here.

Before I could even back out of the crowd with Buizel to try and find Rhythimi, the blonde found us first and jerked me out of the crowd by my shirt collar.

"YOWCH!"

**BAM!**

"Oww..."

Rhythimi stood over me on the floor and just raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. Buizel just mimicked her pose and did the same thing. "You're a real klutz, you know that?"

I quickly grew defensive and shot straight up from the ground. "I am not!"

"Uh huh, sure." She simply rolled her eyes exhaustedly at me. "Anyways, I'm going to to go find Isaac so we can start heading out for the Ranger Union." She waved me off, starting to walk towards the science lab, still holding Eevee.

"Mushroom boy, huh?" I smirked in her general direction, purposely trying to piss her off. "Have fun with him, but of course no too much fun..."

**SLAP!**

"OW!"

"OH WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!?"

"STOP HITTING ME!"

I clutched my burning cheek and winced at Rhythimi. Yow... That hurt.

She angrily glared at me one last time before storming off; somehow her Eevee slept through all of the shouting.

Somehow.

"Learn to be respectful, Keith. Your brash nature could get you in trouble some day." Her eyes lingered on me for a moment, probably hoping that her advice had some sort of effect on me.

"Yeah, whatever..." I grumbled under my breath. Before I could say some sort of retort, a wave of dark brown hair and a blur of grey-black fur brushed past me, and I was immediately distracted, hoping it was Rena. "Rena!" I called out to her and held out my hand, then began chasing after the girl. "We have to go to Vientown together for our internship..."

Rena kept walking away from me with her shoulders squared. Mightyena was by her side, as always. "I know. Let's go get this over with already." She snapped, not even waiting for me to catch up.

...

Did I say something wrong?

I don't think so...

...

Why the hell is she in such a pissy mood? I didn't even do anything!

I chased after Rena and Mightyena and caught up to them by the school's front gate. "Hey! What's gotten into you?" I sighed, really annoyed by her brushing me off as if I was a piece of trash. "You don't have to be so bitchy. Don't think you can just take your anger out on me; I haven't even done anything to deserve your shitty attitude..."

**SLAM!**

Rena spun around with incredible speed and punched me so hard across the face that I nearly was knocked to the ground from the impact of her fist colliding with my cheek.

"You haven't done anything?!" Rena scoffed angrily, glaring at me with eyes filled with hurt and agonizing pain. "Oh, on the contrary. Don't lie to me! I know what you did!"

I stood up from the ground and struggled not to lose my temper. "What the hell was that for!? I have no idea what you're even talking about!"

Buizel and Mightyena both shot each other nervous glances, unsure of what to do. I could tell they wanted to intervene, but each Pokemon knew something the other didn't, which biased their reasoning. So basically they said "fuck it" since they don't know what the hell's going on and decided to just let us have it out with each other.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Rena screamed, punching me again. This time her fist hit my shoulder blade, and my eye only twitched angrily in response.

With every hit she delivered, I grew more and more angry. I felt my temper bubbling up, and boiling water was spilling over the top of the pot and sizzling as it seared at the metal burner. It wasn't long before all I saw was a flash of white anger before my eyes.

"WOULD YOU STOP HITTING ME AND JUST EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IT IS THAT YOU'RE SO PISSED ABOUT!?" I screamed at her, grabbing her arms with extreme force. I unconsciously dug my nails into her skin, bruising her flesh with my tight hold on her. Mightyena intuitively lunged to attack me, but Buizel held him off by shooting an Aqua Jet that sent him flying to the side.

Rena ripped my hands off of her and payed no attention to the small cuts and reddened bruises left on her arms. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I thought you were different, but you're exactly the same!" Tears visibly welled up in her eyes, but she dared not let them spill onto her cheeks.

Sure, I felt bad for hurting her, but I was just too damn angry with her insults to pay attention to my conscience for even a second. "Oh yeah!?" I scoffed, incredulously. "The same? The same as WHAT?"

Rena shook slightly with anger, taking a step closer to me so she was right in my face. "You're exactly the same as every spoiled, snotty, stuck-up rich kid out there!" She screamed at my face as loud as her lungs would allow her to. Buizel and Mightyena both flinched at every insulting word Rena uttered. "You're manipulative, self-centered, arrogant, conceited, cruel, and you do whatever it takes to get what you want without even regarding the other person's feelings!" The tears finally streamed down her face as she shook more violently with anger, turning red from how mad she was.

Every word that slipped off her tongue was a stab to the heart.

I felt as if someone had just smashed a glass vase over my head, leaving me temporarily dazed and out of it. I stood there completely stunned and quiet for a good minute before I converted it into uncontrollable anger. "Why, you..."

"FUCK OFF!" Rena slapped me across the face with impossible strength and turned around with Mightyena, storming out the front gate. "I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, YOU INCONSIDERATE BASTARD!"

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" I angrily chased after her with Buizel, beyond furious.

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

Keith, Rena, and their Pokemon trudged the rest of the way to Vientown in complete silence. Both teens were excruciatingly pissed off at the other, and they would stop walking occasionally to fight and throw punches at each other once again. Keith didn't understand why she was so mad, but he didn't care at this point. His temper had taken over for the moment, and he wasn't the same lovable Keith he always was. He was the dark, manipulative, sinister bastard that took over his mind whenever he got really pissed off. Combine that personality with Rena's, and you have a sure recipe for disaster.

It broke his heart to hear her say those things. It broke Keith's heart to hear Rena, both his best friend and the girl he liked, call him an arrogant bastard straight to his face. But what really pissed him off was her comparing him to the rest of his social class. He wasn't like the rest... Not at all. The rest of his social class were arrogant pricks who looked down on the middle class and only affiliated themselves with those equal to or greater than their own wealth. They were stuck up jerks, and Keith wasn't anything like them. He wasn't like his Father. Growing up, Keith HATED when people compared him to someone else, and he also hated a majority of the people in his social class, so being called the same as them was going too far. Rena had gone too far this time by unconsciously comparing him to his Father, and for no apparent reason. Unlike other rich guys his age, Keith actually had a conscience, and a heart. He actually cared how his actions impacted others, regardless of how much he doesn't ever show it to anyone. Despite his arrogant and conceited persona he puts out for the world to see, Keith was actually a pretty good guy deep down, and his arrogance was just his way of protecting himself from getting hurt. Although, he somehow managed to get hurt regardless of how he acted around people.

Rena was furious. She couldn't believe him! When she first saw him making out with Amanda late last night, she was completely heartbroken for whatever reason. Although, after sleeping on it, she just woke up completely pissed off. Keith had been leading her on, which shouldn't have bothered Rena in the first place, since, you know...she was the one supposed to seduce and con him...but it did bother her. He immediately jumped from pursuing one girl to the next, not even regarding each of their feelings. What about Amanda? How would she feel if she found out that she was being played? He was just like those other arrogant rich bastards Rena had met on her other jobs, and that broke her heart. Somewhere in her heart, in the back of her mind, she wanted Keith to be different than the selfish men of power she had been exposed to her whole life, but last night was the slap to the face Rena needed to see that she was being played, decieved even. She wanted more than anything to believe Keith was different, but...he wasn't. And she had to accept that.

She might stay in Ranger School and go through with the whole Ranger thing and leave her old life behind for Isaac and Rhythimi's sake, but now? She wasn't about to do it for Keith anymore.

She was going to leave him behind without looking back.

After a twenty minute silence, the two Rangers-in-Training and Pokemon arrived at the farm town known as Vientown. Green grass and pastures filled with Miltanks stretched across the small, widespread town filled with vegetation and little houses. Rena figured they must have a population of thirty at most. It was a quiet town with the Ranger Base smack dab in the middle, and a huge, bustling forest towered over the town from behind, which was known as the Vien Forest. The south end of the town led to an even smaller village called "Chicole Village," and the west end of town, right across from where they were currently standing on the east side, led to a small beach named "Nabiki Beach."

Rena had been here once before, back when Kincaid had escorted her to the Ranger School all those months ago. She had walked through the lush Vien Forest and strided though Vientown like she owned the place, unknowing of the future that had been set in place for her. The future filled with the heartbreak and betrayal that had come to pass.

The two teens were greeted by a few smiling faces belonging to the townspeople as they made their way towards the Ranger Base, although both were too filled with anger to properly form a response as simple as a hand wave. Keith and Rena stepped through the Ranger Base's automatic doors only to be greeted with complete silence.

...

"Where is everyone...?" Rena cautiously stepped forward, paranoidly staring at her empty surroundings. What was going on? Was this an ambush? Was someone on to her con?

"Dunno." Keith bitterly shrugged, clenching his teeth. "Maybe they cleared out when they heard that a major bitch was coming here for her internship..." He dryly rolled his eyes to be fixed on her, resting a hand on his waist.

Rena shot Keith a hateful glare, hiding her overwhelming sadness within her stomach. She painfully tore her gaze from him and stormed over to the counter where the Operator was supposed to be sitting, and she found an envelope addressed _"For you, kiddies."_

Rena didn't even bother to wait for Keith to walk over before ripping open the envelope and fiercely reading the letter, crunching the edges of the paper slightly within her angry fingertips.

_"Dear kiddies," _the letter was addressed_. "I'm sure by now you've noticed that we're currently not here at the moment," _the letter read_. "Now, here's your mission. On this desk is a brown package labeled 'FRAGILE' in bolded red letters. Right now, we are ALL out on a huge mission that is crucial to Almia's future safety, and we need you to deliver it IMMEDIATELY. We are waiting for you at Breeze Hill. Do not tip, turn, or drop the package. Please hurry. - Base Leader Barlow."_

Rena stared at the letter, completely bored. "...I bet this is some sort of cheesy prank that's incredibly ridiculous and was put in place solely to mess with us." She balled up the letter and pelted it as hard as she could into the trash can across the Ranger Base, carelessly stomping towards the front doors. "I'm outta here."

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Keith turned on his heel, angrily shooting daggers at the girl with his fiery-red eyes.

She flashed him a malevolent glower, resting her eyes on him from over her shoulder. "Getting the hell away from you."

Rena then proceeded to storm through the automatic doors with Mightyena sulking behind her, who reluctantly followed his master after shooting Buizel an apologetic look. Buizel frowned slightly and nodded his head, understanding the unspoken apology.

"Damn that woman..." Keith cursed under his breath, turning around and slamming his fist on the counter to relieve some of his pent-up fury.

Buizel nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden cacophony. Keith picked up the fragile package and tucked it under his arm, heading towards Nabiki Beach. The letter said Breeze Hill, which was just north of the beach. So, the enraged teen stormed out of the Ranger Base and gained more than just one judgmental eye focused on him. If Rena was just gonna abandon him now and storm off like that, he'd do the damn mission on his own, whatever the hell it was.

When Keith stepped just outside of Vientown, he paused, looking at his surroundings. He was up on a slightly-raised cliff that towered over the light-colored beach to his left, which was covered in grass and a dirt path that parted into two ways. This fork in the road went both left and right; left led to a small staircase connecting to the beach and Marine Cave, and right carried onwards to the more lush half of the terrain that steepened in elevation. Keith immediately knew that way was the way to go. So, following the trees that framed the right side of the path, Keith started to walk in that direction up the hill.

Buizel ran in front of Keith, and the red-head nearly stepped on him. He held out his little otter paws to block Keith's legs from going any further, shooting his partner a somber frown.

"What?" Keith bitterly snapped, holding his chin high and mighty. "You're not pissed about Rena, are you?" The glare his otter gave him quickly answered that question. "I did literally NOTHING and she blew up on me! Yeah, maybe I lost my temper, but the bitch deserved it for what she said." Keith grumbled, frustratingly clenching his fists and jaw. "Look, Buizel. I know you adore Rena and all, but you're either with me on this or not." Keith was shocked to see the otter-Pokemon stubbornly cross his arms over his chest, refusing to budge. "Fine." Keith side-stepped, brushing past Buizel. "Have it your way."

Buizel watched as Keith walked away from him, feeling both hurt and angry for being abandoned. Then again, he did sort of instigate it in the first place. His partner frustrated him now more than ever. The fight with Rena hurt Keith more than he was letting on, and it hurt Buizel to just stand there helplessly and watch the two lovebirds berate each other into an oblivion of pain and regrets they would inevitably acknowledge later.

Yes, lovebirds.

Buizel was well aware of his partner's feelings for the girl, and after hanging around those two so much and talking with Mightyena, the two had concluded that somewhere along the way, Rena had fallen for the hot-head as well, but was so far deep in denial that it didn't even register as a possibility in the brunette's head. Mightyena seemed only concerned about his partner deeply as if she was in grave danger because of that rather than be happy for her. He was hiding something from Buizel, but Buizel respected his friend's privacy and didn't ask. Eevee was worried about Mightyena too, but he also didn't ask what was going on with his sudden concern for Rena. Then again, that was probably because the narcoleptic was asleep most of the damn time anyways.

Buizel was about 99.9% sure that Keith didn't just like Rena, but he loved her. The extent of Rena's true feelings for the arrogant son of a bitch still remained a mystery to Buizel, however, he knew his partner better than he knew himself, so it wasn't hard to figure out that Keith was head over heels for the girl the moment she strutted in, acting as if she owned the place. Keith was immediately attracted to her, and he absolutely loved her confidence and snarky attitude. She was also one of the few people who could put up with his bullshit and his nasty temper. She hadn't fallen head over heels for him or develop a crush on him for his wealth like all of the other girls at the Ranger School had, and she was the first girl that actually saw Keith for himself. And actually, she resented him for his wealth. Hah! That was a first. She was the first girl who challenged him, poked his buttons despite his bad attitude and temper, and she actually had the guts the sock him right in the face whenever he was being the condescending prick they both knew he was at times. (At times...). Keith was pretty sure that if he had given her the chance earlier, she would've kicked his ass more than those few punches to the face. She was brave enough to stand up to him and flat-out tell him he was an arrogant bastard, and she never hesitated to call him out whenever he was wrong about something.

Only a few had ever seen Keith's true colors, aka his bad temper, which were Rhythimi, Isaac, and Rena. Well, those were the only ones who'd seen his temper and stayed by his side. Rhythimi and Isaac were merely just witnesses to his temper, but Rena was the only one of the three that had been an actual victim. He had injured her a countless number of times thanks to losing his temper, yet Rena never mentioned it once. She took the pain with a brave look on her face, and instead of running away and letting the abuse get to her like any of his temper's other victims, she stayed put and never broke eye contact until Keith came back down to earth. Buizel was sure without a doubt that the damage Keith did to her arms today would leave a nasty bruise. Rena wasn't afraid of Keith's red eyes that flashed with fire whenever he was angry. Buizel didn't know what made Rena so tough, but he knew that whatever it was, it must've been something horrible that the girl had lived with for a long time that inevitably made her stronger, so being a victim of Keith's temper was considered nothing compared to it.

Rena was a wonderful actress. Buizel knew it, Keith knew it... Both boys could watch her smiling face all day and not be fooled by it. Her facial expressions were all false; they weren't stupid. It was her eyes that gave her away. She was the most gorgeous girl Keith had ever laid eyes on and had the prettiest smile, but her dead eyes gave it away. They weren't bright and happy like her smile, they were dim and cloudy. Pain and sadness was hidden behind them, and Keith had recognized it the moment he'd met her. Keith figured she'd gone through some pretty bad shit in her past to make her so depressed, but he never dared ask about it, no matter how much he wanted her to tell him.

Keith wanted Rena more than anything. He wanted to hold her forever and never let go. He wanted to call her his own. He wanted to have the right to punch any bastard in the face that even looked at her funny. He wanted to take her sadness and pain away and carry the burden for her. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her.

And that was what made her words hurt the most.

Buizel watched as Keith depressingly trudged down the path further, internally sulking. He hated seeing his partner so heartbroken, but he couldn't help but wonder, what exactly had Rena been talking about earlier when she accused him of doing something despicable enough to make her want to punch him? Nothing really came to mind. Buizel didn't remember seeing Rena at all this morning before heading out for the internship, and the last time he saw her was before everyone went off to bed for the night, meaning that whatever had pissed her off had to have happened in the middle of...the...night...

...

...she couldn't possibly have seen, could she?

Buizel widened his eyes in horror as the crushing realization dawned on him. Oh no! No no no! Rena must've snuck out after curfew around the same time Keith did last night and saw Amanda kiss Keith, then completely misunderstood what had happened! Which means... Rena must have felt heartbroken and couldn't bear to watch, so she ran away before she could see Keith push Amanda off of him, which is why she was so pissed off at Keith! She had to have lashed out at him today out of a broken heart rather than out of spite!

...of course, this was all just hypothetical.

...

Oh, fuck it. This was the only possible explanation for what had happened, and Buizel knew it.

And that was when the little otter-Pokemon bolted straight for the red-head, trying to think of a way to tell his partner what really happened and mend the relationship between the two stubborn asses before it was too late.

And it may have already been just that: too late.

* * *

"UGH! THAT INCONSIDERATE. SELFISH. ARROGANT. CONDESCENDING. ASSHOLE!" Rena violently kicked at the sand on the beach after screaming every word, drawing the attention of a couple lounging on the opposite side of Nabiki Beach who just stared at her as if she was a Ponyta with a Magikarp for a head.

Mightyena simply whined through his nose, helplessly staring up at Rena with the most pitiful look he could possibly make.

Rena huffed and stared down at her beloved companion, sticking out her lip in a pout. "Don't look at me like that."

Mightyena shot her a quizzical, judgmental look, tightening his gaze on her.

Rena's eye twitched involuntarily in response to being glared at, and she quickly went on the defensive. "Stop that."

Mightyena sat at her feet and stared straight up at her with a glare, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I said stop."

...

"Stop it."

...

"Would you cut that out already?!"

...

"UGH!" Rena frustratedly stomped further down the beach, unknowingly growing closer to a cave carved into the cliff-side.

Mightyena would've laughed at her frustration if he didn't currently have a splitting headache. Yowch, did it hurt! It felt like this endless throbbing pain in the back of his mind that he couldn't get rid of!

Rena bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to control her anger, drawing a little blood. She didn't care. She was too pissed off at the world to give a shit. She was pissed off at her damn dog (let's just face it, Mightyena practically was her dog), her damn job, her damn self, her damn stubborn red-haired mark, the damn world, and even damn Ice, the arrogant bastard that probably saw all of this coming from the very start.

She knew she'd have to call in later to report what was going on with her and Keith, and she was already regretting it. She could just picture the damn bastard humming_ "I told you soooo~!" _into the phone, proving her wrong.

To be completely honest with herself, she wasn't really even that pissed off that Keith kissed some random chick. What really pissed her off was that she didn't know why she cared. Why the hell should she care if he was sneaking around with a bunch of girls? It wasn't her business who the red-head dated, so why the hell did she care? Rena was just too pissed off to think straight, and when she saw a cave off to her right, she instinctively went inside in search of solitude.

Mightyena rose a questionable brow at Rena's choice of peace and quiet, but he followed her into the Marine Cave regardless. That headache of his was already starting to get worse, and he felt so dizzy all of a sudden. He cringed when the penetrating, distinct sound of someone blowing as hard as they could into a dog whistle entered his ears, unable to block out the painful noise. What the hell was that!? Rena continued exploring deeper into the cave, completely undisturbed. She must not have noticed the noise. But how could she not hear it!? It was so excruciating!

Rena rose an eyebrow when she heard a faint pulsing noise emanating from the back of the cave. "What the fuck is that?"

Mightyena sighed in relief. It wasn't just him! She heard it too!

Although unlike her canine partner, Rena seemed only slightly annoyed by the noise, rather than on the verge of doubling over in excruciating pain like Mightyena was seconds from doing. He just wanted to get out of here, but his loyalty to Rena out-shined his common sense, and he didn't dare leave her side.

If only he knew that would do more harm than good.

Rena caught sight of a small wooden fence blocking the way further into the cave, and she simply stared at it, completely dumbfounded. "Who would put such a weak barrier here and why?"

She glanced down at her green School Styler equipped to her right wrist, contemplating her options.

What would a Ranger do in this situation? Probably catch some sort of Pokemon that had the necessary field move to cut it down.

But, you see, that was the difference between Rena and Pokemon Rangers. Rena was a thief, not a Ranger, and she honestly couldn't give a flying fuck about protocol.

"Let's see, do I care enough to do the right thing here?" She mumbled out loud, stroking her chin as she stared at the tiny, insulting fence that dared to mock her with its simple existence. "Nope. I currently have zero fucks to give."

So naturally, she promptly just kicked in the fence with one strong blow to the center.

Mightyena's eyelids were starting to feel very heavy, and he felt like he was going to faint at any second now. The pain was just getting worse and worse, and he felt as if he couldn't hold out very much longer...

Not having acknowledged her partner's inner struggle just yet, Rena followed the noise to the very back of the Marine Cave, and she froze in place when she heard voices squabbling beyond the rocky walls. So, it would appear that she wasn't alone in here. Rena instinctively ducked behind one of the rocky walls before peering her head around the corner just far enough to see into the room.

Three men dressed in black and purple matching uniforms stood around a peculiar red machine with a spinning top, watching as the surrounding wild Shellos, Zubat, and Pichu circled it brainlessly as if they had no control over themselves.

Rena stared at the red machine, completely lost in thought. What the heck is that thing? A mailbox?

"Wow, it actually works!" One of the shady guys said in awe to another, slapping his hands onto his cheeks.

"Well of course it works, you dolt." The man standing next to him smacked him upside the head, rolling his eyes as the guy cried out pathetically in pain. "The boss hired the best of the best smarties to develop the Gigaremo in the first place."

_"Oh. It's a Gigaremo." _Rena thought to herself.

...whatever the heck that is.

The third guy motioned over to the Gigaremo, looking a little confused. "So, what? We just flip the switch and - KAPOW! - the Pokemon are rendered helpless as it controls their minds?"

The older guy that seemed to be in charge of the operation crossed his arms as he mulled it over, then shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way."

Rena snapped her eyes open in shock, unable to comprehend this. Mind controlling...machine? For Pokemon?

...

Just because she was a thief who didn't abide by the law didn't mean she was okay with something as despicable as this.

"Hey, morons." Rena snapped, stepping out from her hiding place and approaching the three shady guys fearlessly. "Just what exactly do you think you're doing?"

The three guys spun around and paled at the sight of Rena.

"N-n-nothing m-ma'am!" The first guy stammered, trying to keep his knees from buckling together.

The other one on the other side of the leader sweatdropped, making an audible gulp. "We're not doing anything suspicious or illegal at all, promise! Scouts honor!" He saluted Rena timidly.

Rena just raised an eyebrow at the buffoons. Just who did they think they were fooling?

The leader of the group stared at Rena quizzically. "Brunette girl, Styler, Mightyena for a partner, School Uniform..." His eyebrows quickly shot up into his hairline. "Oh crap, it's her! Of all the people that had to catch us in the act of testing out the Gigaremo, it just had to be her!" He stupidly blurted out more than he should of said, and he slapped a hand over his mouth as soon as he realized that.

Rena took a dangerous step forwards, raising an eyebrow at the three of them. "Alright, spill. What's going on here?! Just who exactly ARE you freaks?" Rena's paranoia quickly swept over her thoughts, consuming control over her actions whole.

The first shady guy proudly puffed up his chest and pointed to the strange purple logo on his uniform. "Why, we're Team Dim Sun, a criminal syndicate determined to create a brighter future for Almia!" His face was quickly met by the fist of the leader.

"YOU BLUNDERING FOOL! DON'T GO TELLING HER THAT!" The leader shouted at his subordinate, fuming with anger. "The boss specifically instructed us all to keep her in the dark!"

The Dim Sun Minion whimpered helplessly as he rubbed his red cheek. "I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking straight. At least I didn't tell her that the..."

The leader slammed his fist down on the moron's head before he could get another word out. "YOU IDIOT! YOU WERE ABOUT TO DO IT AGAIN!"

"OW! I'M SORRY!"

Rena struggled not to laugh out loud at these freaks. They were so incredibly stupid that it was funny.

"Alright, girl." The leader narrowed his eyes at Rena. "I'll give you a choice: you can either leave right now and pretend none of this ever happened, or we're going to have to hurt you."

Rena actually did laugh, considering how ridiculous that was. "Hah! You honestly think you can take me on? You three weaklings don't stand a _chance_." She leaned forwards with a taunting smirk on her arrogant face. Her Father had trained her to be a better fighter than he ever was, so she was beyond ready for this.

The Dim Sun leader simply smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, then it's a good thing we won't be the ones attacking you."

Rena's smirk was slapped right off of her face when she tightened her focus on the jerk who dared to insult her. "Hey, what do you even mean by that..."

A vicious snarl from behind her interrupted Rena before she could finish her sentence, and she cautiously turned around. She was horrified to see Mightyena with his fangs bared at her, standing in position to attack her at any given moment.

"Might...yen...a...?" The syllables of her most trusted friend's name slipped off of her tongue as she stared at him in disbelief.

"HAHAHA!" The leader laughed cynically, unable to contain his delight. "Foolish girl. Don't you get it? Our invention, the Gigaremo, doesn't only control wild Pokemon." He smirked, staring at the back of the brunette's head. "It controls the mind of any Pokemon, captured or not."

Rena felt her heart throb painfully when Mightyena showed no recognition whatsoever of his master, his friend, his partner. He almost looked like an ordinary wild, vicious Mightyena with a violent nature.

"Mightyena, cut it out." Rena nervously laughed, then stopped laughing when she noticed Mightyena didn't even blink. "Seriously, stop it." A low rumble of his snarl found its way to her ears, and he took one step forwards. "Mightyena, snap out of it!" Rena started to panic, backing up and away from her trusted ally.

Mightyena's red eyes were clouded and foggy, and he showed no sign of recognition or the intent of showing mercy. He was hungry for blood, her blood. And somewhere deep down, Rena knew that.

It wasn't long before Rena found her back pressed up against the rocky wall at the back of the cave. "Stop this! This isn't you! SNAP OUT OF IT!" She desperately cried out to try and reach her partner's ears, but Mightyena seemed to not even hear her at all. "Mightyena..." A stray tear slipped down Rena's cheek.

The Dim Sun leader and his two cohorts strutted past Mightyena and began making their great escape, but the leader looked back over at Rena one last time before disappearing. "We'll just give you two some privacy. I'm sure you have a lot to...discuss." His evil smirk taunted Rena's sanity, and the three minions left Rena in the cave to survive the Gigaremo's play on Mightyena's mind.

When the three left, Rena faintly heard them squabbling again before the sound of a bunch of falling rocks crashing to the ground echoed and bounced off the walls. Rena guessed they were now blocking the exit to the Marine Cave. The sound of water rushing into Marine Cave reached her ears, and she felt panic when it dawned on her that it was high tide.

"Crap..." Rena cursed herself quietly, then snapped out of it when Mightyena viciously barked at her. She stared helplessly at the Pokemon she loved with all her heart, unable to force herself to harm him like her training and instincts told herself to do. "Hey, buddy, you've gotta wake up... Please, Mightyena! Wake up! Snap out of it!" She cried out desperately, but her attempts showed no avail. "Come on, don't you recognize me?"

Rena's imagination caused her to see Mightyena flash between his old Poochyena form and this one, nearly bringing her to tears.

"Come on, boy... You have to recognize me." She begged, feeling how hoarse her throat was currently. "Remember when I found you starving in that Castelia alley, and I shared half of my Casteliacone with you, despite how hungry I was?" Rena reflected over their past, trying to wake Mightyena from the Gigaremo's control. "And then Father found us and took the both of us in, and we all became a family... You were there for every second of it." She sniffled through her bitter smile. "I wrapped my arms around you tightly every night while we slept, I trained ruthlessly for days on end with you always by my side, and then there was the day we all went on our first job together..." Rena couldn't hold back the tears spilling over her cheeks as Mightyena crept even closer and closer and growled malevolently. "You were there! You always were! You were always by my side no matter what, because you were my partner! You are my partner!" Rena pressed her back firmly against the wall as the snarling wolf got even closer, silently praying for the wall to just swallow her up whole. "You and Father were always there for me, always there to love me, to take care of me, to watch my back, and we lived happily together as a family! You were there for every birthday, every job, and every single waking moment we spent with my Father! YOU WERE EVEN THERE FOR ME WHEN HE DIED!" Rena screamed and sobbed at the top of her lungs, collapsing to her knees and covering her eyes to hide her tears.

Mightyena didn't even flinch as he lunged at the unfamiliar woman, getting ready to clamp his fangs down on her throat and steal her last breath from her.

* * *

Keith stormed up the steps to Breeze Hill with Buizel behind him, feeling more hurt than angry. How could she be so cruel to him when he had done nothing wrong? It wasn't like Rena to make up something random just to have an excuse to yell at him, so she must've seen him do something to be genuinely mad at him, but what? What could it possibly be? She seemed fine last night at dinner, and he hadn't seen her at all this morning before leaving for their internship, so it had to have happened in the middle of the night.

Keith stopped in his tracks, pressing his index finger to his lips as he thought hard on it.

...

"Nope. I've got nothing." Keith shrugged his shoulders and continued walking ahead.

Buizel scampered up the steps and ran in front of Keith, causing the red-haired idiot to stop dead in his tracks. The otter-Pokemon began frantically waving his arms up and down, trying to convey his discovery to Keith.

Keith shot him a weird look. "Trying to tell me something?"

Buizel vigorously nodded his head, then began the game of charades. Now, how to act out that Rena saw Keith kissing Amanda?

The orange otter struck a girly pose, simulating Rena's posture.

"Rhythimi?" Keith rose an eyebrow, then winced when Buizel smacked him for getting it wrong. "Oh, Rena!"

Buizel gave Keith a head nod, then proceeded with his next charade. He pointed to his eyes, then pointed at Keith.

Keith followed Buizel's movements slowly, carefully trying to figure it out. "Rena...saw...oh! Me! Rena saw me do something!" Keith snapped his fingers and pointed at Buizel, starting to figure it out.

Buizel grinned and nodded his head, and to the otter's embarrassment, he tried to act out making out with someone for the last part. Oh the things one does for their partner.

Keith paused, extremely confused. "...Rena saw me eating a taco?" He deadpanned, completely serious.

Buizel just fell over anime style. If that was how Keith ate a taco, he was a bit concerned.

Keith brushed off Buizel, side-stepping and entering Breeze Hill. "You don't make any sense. Thanks for trying, though!"

Buizel simply facepalmed and followed behind his dense partner. What a complete moron... He wasn't sure what Rena saw in him.

...then again, Buizel figured she didn't really know either.

"Ah, lookie here!" A burly black man with dark red hair and rippling muscles approached Keith, shaking his hand with a little _too_ much force. "Nice to see you finally made it with our package!"

Keith tried to stop shaking from the man's unintentional brute force, then handed him the package. "Here you go." The red-head peered behind the Ranger and noticed a red and white checkered picnic blanket spread out on the grass. Four other people, a Budew, a Buneary, and a Makuhita were spread out around the blanket and smiling at him.

"My name is Barlow, and I..." Barlow began his introduction, but Keith was quick to cut him off.

"I know who you are." He grinned, glancing at all of the people here. "I know who all of you are. I read the Almia Times and Vien Tribune; I'm a really big fan of you guys!"

Keith wasn't stupid, he knew who each of these people were. He read Almia's newspapers featuring the Rangers and their staff, and he could list every one by name.

"Wow!" A dark-haired Ranger girl cheered, clapping her hands together. "Amazing! Well, I guess we'll let you do the introductions then!" Her smile was welcoming and charming, but she had a gleam of crazy in her eyes that Keith could easily compare to Rena's.

"You're Barlow, the Base Leader in Vientown." Keith pointed to Barlow, the black man who had just shaken his hand. He was renowned for his kindness and brute force, and he was a very talented Ranger. Although, he was particularly lacking in the sense of humor area. "That Makuhita right there is your Partner Pokemon," Keith said as he glanced down at the fighting Pokemon by Barlow's side.

"And you're Luana." Keith grinned, pointing to the pretty black-haired girl Ranger who was surprised he knew her name. She was famous for her perfect white teeth and smile, and she was the sunniest character in all of Vientown. She didn't go on many missions, but she was often on patrol through the area since she lacked skill. "That Buneary in your arms is your Partner Pokemon." Keith smirked, pointing to the Pokemon in question.

Keith's eyes landed on another girl with brown hair and maroon overalls stained with oil. She had a wrench in her left hand. "You're Vientown's mechanic: Elaine." Elaine was pretty good at her job, although she was well known for losing her cool a little when it came to dismantling a super cool gadget of some sort. She hated assembling, given that dismantling was her true passion.

"You're Audry, the three-year-record-holder for the Styler Recharging contest and the best Area Base Operator." Keith introduced the Operator by Luana's side who had a short violet bob, and she grinned when the kid recognized her as well.

"And you..." Keith paused when he pointed to a very tall man with an exploded brunette Afro, puzzled when he saw his excited grin. "I actually don't remember you."

Luana nearly keeled over laughing her ass off at the look on the Crawford's face, and Barlow had to sit down from his intense booming laughter.

The Ranger in question that Keith didn't recognize, Crawford, dropped his jaw and held his Budew in his lap. "WHAT?! OH COME ON! EVERYBODY KNOWS ME!" Crawford whined, looking over at his partner Luana who still laughed hysterically. "I WAS EVEN AT YOUR OUTDOOR CLASS!" Crawford could barely handle this attack on his Afro-sized ego.

Keith took a good look at the Ranger again before shaking his head. "Nope. I don't think so."

Luana's laugh only roared louder at the sight of Crawford paling from that major stab to his ego.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Keith stared at the package by Barlow's feet. "What was even in that thing anyway? What's this super top secret 'mission' that you guys are on?"

Luana calmed down, hesitantly looking at Keith with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, but... It's a prank. If it makes you feel any better, I was the victim last year!"

Keith stepped towards the package and opened it, and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline when he saw a bunch of packed sandwiches and soda cans inside. "Seriously? You guys had me deliver your lunch?"

Barlowawkwardly cleared his throat. "Yes. And just for the record, it was all Crawford's idea." He deadpanned with a straight face, pointing at the prankster.

"HEY!"

Luana snorted at her partner's reaction, laughing a little. "Oh relax, Crawford. At least he doesn't seem that mad about it!"

Crawford timidly glanced at Keith, noticing the glare he was giving him. Crawford just sweatdropped. "I think you're very misinformed, Lu'."

"Wait a minute." Barlow stood up, addressing Keith seriously. "Weren't there supposed to be two of you?"

Keith exchanged a tense glance with Buizel, holding his breath. "Yeah, but she took off when we got in a fight earlier."

"What!?" Luana stopped laughing and was completely surprised. "You guys fought? Aww! That's not good!"

"We need to find her." Barlow replied without a moment to think about it. "I'm responsible if anything happens to her." He sternly turned to Keith, resting a calloused hand on his shoulder. "Any idea where she went?"

Keith still felt a little bitter towards Rena from their fight earlier, so he simply shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Dunno. She was heading towards the beach or something I think."

"What did you guys fight about?" Crawford worriedly shot Keith a nervous glance, approaching him and both his leader and partner.

"Nothing." Keith said quietly, staring down at his feet. "We just said some things we shouldn't have." Keith sighed, glancing boredly at Barlow. "Do we really need to find her right now? I'm sure she's fine. And besides, I really don't want to start fighting with her again..." The Rangers easily picked up the hurt in his tone.

Before Barlow could even say anything, a man ran up the stairs in a panic. "RANGERS! HELP!"

Barlow immediately leapt into action, slapping the surprise off his face. "What's the problem?"

The man nervously began flailing his arms up and down. "My girfriend and I were lounging on the beach earlier when we saw a really angry girl storm into the Marine Cave with some sort of wolf. A little while after, three guys dressed in black left the cave and knocked over some rocks to block the entrance, but the girl never came out! I think she's trapped in there, and now that the high tide is coming in, Marine Cave is going to be flooded with water!"

Keith completely forgot about his anger in the shock of it all, and his bad attitude shattered as he widened his eyes horrifically. "RENA!" Keith shouted, immediately running down the steps with Buizel without giving the Rangers the chance to react.

Barlow ordered Luana, Crawford, and Elaine to tag along while Audrey escorted the spooked guy back to his girlfriend on Nabiki Beach. The three Rangers and Ranger-in-training ran as fast as they could towards Marine Cave, and they almost overlooked the entrance blocked by rocks because the ocean water was already covering up half of it.

Recklessly, Keith jumped into the water and began treading towards the cave, ignoring the large waves crashing against him. "RENA! RENA! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?"

"KEITH, GET OUT OF THERE!" Barlow ordered, trying to grab Keith and pull him out, but he missed. Barlow clicked his tongue derisively and jumped in behind Keith, following the red-head's lead. "Come on, Crawford, Luana. You guys too!"

All four of them with Keith leading the way found themselves at the cave entrance, and Keith immediately began pulling at the rocks that refused to budge. Barlow and the other two soon joined in, pulling at the rocks as hard as they could. The water crashed against the blocked entrance with complete ferocity, drenching the Rangers head-to-toe. The rocks weren't budging, and Keith grew desperate with each passing minute.

"RENA!" He pounded his fists on the rocks, not caring that he was cutting and bruising himself in return. "RENA! CAN YOU HEAR ME, RENA!?"

Buizel watched in horror as the tide came in even more, and the rocks didn't budge. The little otter wanted to help, but the only thing he could do was fire water attacks at the rocks, but he figured that would just do more harm than good.

"Stand back!" Barlow brusquely grabbed Keith's shoulder, jerking him to the side. He backed up a little and rammed at the rocks with his shoulder at full force. "Taaaarget...CLEAR!"

**BAM!**

"Taaarget...CLEAR!"

**BAM!**

Pretty soon, Keith and the others caught on, and they quickly joined in, trying to help save Rena.

"Taaarget...CLEAR!"

**BAM!**

"Taaarget...CLEAR!"

**BAM!**

"TARGET CLEAR!"

**WHOOSH!**

The rocks crumbled and tumbled to the ground, and the water on both sides leveled, only coming up to the Ranger's ankles now that the Marine Cave was acting as a drain.

Keith didn't waste any time in running into the Marine Cave, sprinting as fast as he could looking for Rena with Buizel. "RENA!"

"KEITH, WAIT!" Barlow called after him, quickly chasing after the reckless kid with the other Rangers. "Reckless idiot!"

Keith didn't care. He didn't care if he should've waited to scan the area to make sure it was safe to enter first before just running right in. For once, Keith didn't care about doing the proper Ranger thing here. Screw protocol; his girl was in danger.

When Keith dashed into the very back of the cave, he stared down at his feet in horror. The water in here was slightly...red.

He reluctantly followed the bloody water with his eyes over to the source: a bloodied body covered in gashes lying lifelessly on the ground. A knocked out Mightyena laid beside it, also unconscious.

"NO! RENA!" Keith screamed in horror, running over to the body of the girl he loved so much. He scooped her lifeless body up in his arms and clutched her close to him, holding back sobs. "No! No no no... I'm sorry, Rena... I'm so, so sorry..."

When Barlow, Luana, and Crawford entered the room with their respected partners, wondering what all the shouting was about, they turned ghostly pale.

Keith sobbed into Rena's shoulder, trying not to pay attention to all of the cuts that covered her pale skin and her pretty face. What the hell had happened to her?!

Crawford stepped forwards and found remnants of a broken red machine lying in the corner; it occasionally sparked and sputtered. "I don't know what happened, but something serious went down here..."

Luana ran up to Keith and Rena with Barlow, completely panicked. "Is she okay!?"

Keith listened carefully to see if he could hear her breathing, and she wasn't. His breath hitched when he heard absolutely nothing. "She's... She's not breathing..."

Luana slapped a hand over her mouth in horror as Barlow took action, taking her pulse. Keith waited for what felt like forever for Barlow to report her status.

Barlow gravely glanced up at Keith, slightly terrified and relieved at the same time. "Her heart's still beating. Barely."

And that was all the hope the red-head needed.

Keith pulled Rena away from him slightly, fiercely determined to find any trace of life on her face. "Rena, wake up! Come on!" Her shook her slightly, trying to wake her. "Come back to me, you stubborn ass! We're not finished here!" He grew more desperate and scared with every word. "I want you smiling again! I want you laughing, crying, and yelling at me again! I want you awake and pranking me again! Hell, I want you slapping me again! Whatever it takes to get you back, I'll do it!" A tear slipped down Keith's cheek as no change came from Rena. "Come on, Blue Eyes... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what I said to you earlier... Please, just come ba..."

"BLEGH!"

Rena abruptly sat up in Keith's arms and bent over, unattractively regurgitating a lot of water. She coughed ferociously, trying to force the awful-tasting salt water out of her lungs.

"RENA!" Keith couldn't help but grin and hug her tightly. "Thank god... Never do that to me again, alright?!"

"It's not like I planned to drown..." Rena hoarsely choked out her reply sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Her gazed fixed on Crawford, and she raised an eyebrow. "Hey, aren't you that weirdo from the Outdoor Class?"

"FINALLY! SOMEONE RECOGNIZES ME!" Crawford was too happy to hear someone recognizing him to take offense to the 'weirdo' comment.

Everyone in the room just sweatdropped at that.

Keith awkwardly tore his gaze from Crawford and looked down at Rena. "Look, about earlier..." He started to apologize, but Rena slapped her hand over his mouth.

She simply just rose an eyebrow at him. "If you keep apologizing to me I'm going to be sick. Again." That earned a sheepish laugh from the red-head. Rena sighed, refusing to make eye contact. "Look, I'm sorry I got so pissed at you for kissing Amanda, but I..."

"Wait what?" Keith stared at her blankly, thrown off by that statement. "You saw that?"

Luana shared an awkward glance with Crawford, and she whispered to him, "looks like there was more to this argument than he let on..." She awkwardly coughed, then changed her mood completely as she had an epiphany. "Oh my gosh! This is just like one of Elaine's soap operas I've been watching!"

Crawford just sweatdropped. "Oh great, you've been watching the crazy lady's chick-flics again..."

Luana awkwardly laughed before turning her eyes back to the teenagers across the room.

Rena bit down on her lower lip, glaring at the red-head. "Yeah, I saw you two. I took off afterwards so I wouldn't interrupt you guys." Keith stared at her for a good moment before busting out laughing. "What!? What's so funny!?" Rena asked defensively, a little annoyed that he was just laughing at her.

Keith tried to quiet down his laughter a little bit, shaking his head. "Aw man, I can't believe we fought over something so stupid... Wait, yes I can." Keith sweatdropped, then made eye contact with the confused Rena. "Amanda kissed me when she was trying to explain that she liked me, and I pushed her off as soon as I registered what happened. I guess you took off before you saw that part, though." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, flashing Rena a sheepish grin.

Rena had never felt so humiliated in her entire life as she hid her face with her hands and sunk down further in Keith's arms. "...oh." Keith only laughed at her reaction.

Mightyena stirred in his sleep, and his eyes snapped open. The Pokemon looked around the room, dazed and very confused about his whereabouts. The last thing he remembered was stepping into Marine Cave with Rena, then...oh god.

Mightyena leapt up from the ground despite his physical fatigue, and he ran over to Rena as soon as he spotted her. Mightyena whimpered, resting his head in her lap. He felt so guilty as he looked at her severe injuries.

Rena smiled and stroked his wet ears. "It's okay, boy. I know you didn't mean it." She glanced up from her Pokemon at Barlow, raising an eyebrow at him. "You know anything about a bunch of dipshits dressed in black calling themselves Team Dim Sun? Because if not, we've got a lot to talk about."

"But first," Keith interrupted her as soon as he got the chance, "we're taking you to get those injuries treated."

Rena rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mother. It's not like they hurt that bad...YOWCH! HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT THAT'S PAINFUL!" She cried out in pain similarly to the way a sailor would have when Keith carefully tried to help her stand up, making everyone in the room sweatdrop at her foul language.

"So much for it not hurting that bad, huh?"

"Oh shut up."

* * *

***gasps in air* OH MY GOD THAT TOOK SO LONG YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I've been working on this bit by bit for THREE WEEKS!**

**Average chapter length: 1000-3000 words.**

**This chapter's length: 11,059 words**

**Things to discuss:**

**1) Keith's not actually a "cheating" player! Surprise!**

**2) Rena's father is actually dead... How many of you were able to figure that out already from all the hints I've been dropping?**

**3) TEAM DIM SUN APPEARS!**

**Well, I hope you're all satisfied. Read, review, and enjoy the story!**


	24. Chapter 24: Transformation of One's Self

**(Third Person POV)**

The only light source that poured into Rena and Rhythimi's dark dorm bathroom was the light that came through the crack under the door. A girl pressed her hands down on each side of the sink, tilting her head straight down with her eyes shut tight. The occasional stray tear rolled down the tip of her nose and splashed into the sink below. Her long, dark brown locks lay messily around her hands as she bent over the sink. Small, barely noticeable scars decorated her body from various attacks and fights over the years, although the freshest ones resembled bite marks from a certain Mightyena.

"I hate being so weak..."

She had never been sick a day in her life, for her immune system was far too strong. She trained her body ruthlessly to strengthen her muscles, that way she would never face an obstacle that gave her a challenge. She was trained to fight by her father (who was literally a ninja) in order to avoid encountering a person that she could not defeat. She forced herself to recover impossibly quick whenever dealt with injuries, somehow cutting the average healing time for a normal person in half. She carved out her emotions in her heart with a knife and threw them away, that way she would never have to feel pain another day.

And yet, she found them slowly returning on no order of her own, and one emotion in particular had rendered her weak, and even a little helpless.

She lashed out in anger and backhanded Rhythimi's makeup box off of the counter, then slammed her fist down on the marble surface.

"I...I have failed you, father... And I have failed myself."

She hated today. Today was just a bad day. It was a painful reminder for Rena, and she also was dealing with a current painful problem on this very same day, four years later. She hated it because today was...

* * *

"It's Saturday, January 8th." Rhythimi cheerfully piped up, answering Ms. April's question. The blonde had been dressed in casual clothes, given that it was the weekend.

"Ah, right. Thank you, Rhythimi." The teacher smiled, sitting at her desk. She had been grading papers since early this morning, trying to catch up on her work before the next school week started on Monday.

"So, you wanted to talk to me about something?" Rhythimi raised an eyebrow with an awkward smile, trying to figure out why Ms. April had summoned her on a Saturday morning.

Ms. April distractedly shook her head, clearly tired from a lack of sleep. "Oh, sorry. Yes, I just wanted to tell you that midterm scores are in, and you passed with flying colors." Ms. April smiled happily at the blonde, watching her elicit the brightest grin ever in return.

"YES!" Rhythimi punched the air enthusiastically. "I knew I rocked that test!"

Ms. April simply chuckled at her student. "Yes, it would appear so." She picked up a stack of five student files, then handed them to Rhythimi. "Rhythimi, can I ask you to help me by filing these back in the file cabinet? I'm done recording these student's midterm grades."

"Sure!" Rhythimi hummed, spinning on her heel and skipping towards the door.

The blonde skipped all the way to the Teacher's Lounge, knowing exactly where the filing cabinet was. She had often helped out Ms. April with her work when she fell behind, trying to prevent as many bad moods for their bipolar teacher as possible. She didn't mind; the tasks she was assigned only took a few minutes anyways. And besides, Ms. April was perfectly capable of being a very scary person when in a bad mood, so it was best to try and prevent as many of those as possible...

When Rhythimi opened the door to the Teacher's Lounge, she didn't realize there was a box in front of the door, and she immediately tripped over it.

"OOF!"

Rhythimi groaned as her stomach slammed on the floor and the files were thrown out of her hands, wincing a little from the pain. Wow did that smart more than just a little bit...

Still feeling a little of the sting on her skin, the blonde pushed herself up from the floor and started gathering the scattered files.

Although, the problem was trying to figure out what paper went with who's file...

She layed them out on the long table that occupied most of the room's space and got straight to work. Did this one go with this one? Err... This was a lot harder than it looked.

"Crap..." Rhythimi muttered curses, trying to figure out which paper went in each file. "Does this one go here?"

This went on for a solid five minutes before a certain paper caught the blonde's eye.

"Oh hey, this is Rena's!" The blonde grinned in recognition, happy that she was able to restore at least ONE file. Although, what was on the paper was...curious. "Wait a minute... Is this her student bio?"

Sure enough, it was.

Name: Rena Arisa Deveraux

Listed Parents/Guardians: Sam Monroe

Age: 17

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Blue

Height: 5'6

Birthday: January 8th, 1994

...

Wait, birthday?

"Her birthday is January 8th!?" Rhythimi dropped the paper in shock, nearly stumbling backwards. "But that's TODAY!"

* * *

"KEITH!"

"Eh?" The red-head was startled by that shrill, familiar voice, and he barely had a chance to turn his head and look before something, or rather someone slammed into him at full force.

"OOF!"

**WHAM!**

"Oww..." Keith groaned, sprawled on the hardwood floor in front of his dorm room. When he opened his eyes, he quickly narrowed them at the person lying on his chest from the impact. "Fucking blondie... What do you want?" Keith shoved her off, standing up and dusting himself off. Damn, did that woman bulldoze people good...

Rhythimi leapt up from the ground and kept bouncing like a Buneary, grinning idiotically. "Keith! Keith! Keith! I need you to help me plan a party!"

Keith only followed her jumping motion with his eyes for a few seconds before stopping due to dizziness. Although, the word 'party' definitely had him intrigued. "Party?" He smirked, crossing his arms.

A groggy Isaac opened the door to their shared dorm room, poking his head out. "What's this about a party, this early in the morning...?" The mushroom boy rubbed at his eyes, trying to hold back a yawn.

Rhythimi elicited the biggest, brightest smile ever as she threw her hands up into the air. "It's Rena's BIRTHDAY!"

Any previous expression on both Isaac and Keith's faces quickly melted away, and the two roommates shared an awkward glance.

"WHAT!?"

* * *

_"Oh come on, noob. I was just wishing you happy birthday."_ Ice teased, chuckling from the other end of the line.

Rena narrowed her eyes at the sun rising into the sky straight ahead with an unchanging look on her face. "And I'm this close to hanging up on you."

_"Aww... You're no fun."_ Rena speculated that Ice was currently pouting. _"Why won't you just accept my birthday wishes?"_

"Because I hate my birthday." Rena's anger seethed through her teeth, gripping her cell phone tighter in her hand. "And how do you even know my birthday, anyways?"

Ice paused. _"...It's in your file."_

Rena was about two seconds away from throwing her phone either off the balcony or at the wall. "Why does everyone have a goddamn file on me!?"

"Reeeeena~!" Rhythimi's cheerful voice reached the brunette's ears, sending her into a state of utter panic.

"Gotta go." Rena got ready to hang up the phone. "Talk to you later, asshole."

_"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nicer to me..."_

"Yes it would."

**Click!**

Rena hung up her phone right as the blonde pranced into the room with a shopping bag in her hand. "Oh, there you are!" Rhythimi spotted her roommate looming out on the balcony, and she quickly joined her and shoved the bag into her hands. "Get dressed!"

With a raised eyebrow, the suspicious brunette peeked into the bag. "A...swim suit?" She stared at Rhythimi's grey eyes incredulously, looking for answers.

Rhythimi only giggled at Rena's reaction. "We're spending the day at the beach!"

Although, the blonde didn't get quite the reaction she desired when Rena just simply deadpanned, "why," as in, 'why me?'

* * *

**(Rena's POV)**

How the girl got permission for this, I have no idea. But she somehow made it work.

"SURPRISE!"

I cringed as nearly every student in the whole damn school shouted 'surprise' and jumped out from their hiding spots on Nabiki Beach, cheering and applauding as Rhythimi and I entered the beach.

"I should've known..." I muttered curses under my breath, shutting my eyes tightly as I balled up my hands into fists.

"Happy birthday, Rena!" Rhythimi clapped hyperactively, jumping up and down.

"...great." I glowered at the crowd of students, scanning their faces for the red-head and the other blonde. I had a feeling they took part in this bullshit as well, and I had every intention of punishing them too.

"Let's PARTY!" Rhythimi punched her fist into the air, causing the crowd to roar with cheers.

"YEAH!"

"WOOHOO!"

At Rhythimi's signal, someone started blasting music, and complete and utter chaos unfolded from there. Students clad in their swimsuits either started splash fights in the ocean, built sand castles, or didn't give a damn and started tanning on the beach. Someone must've brought a volleyball net, because ten more students were avidly playing that game as well. A surprisingly conscious Eevee was accompanied by Buizel and Mightyena (oh, I was wondering where he went off to...) and the three Pokemon seemed to be engaged in an all out war with each other in their sand forts.

"How in the HELL did you pull this off?" I glared at the party-planner, trying to wipe that smug grin off her face.

"Well..." Rhythimi rocked back and forth on her heels, dressed in a rosey-pink bikini. "When I found out it was your birthday, I went to work planning your party!" She looked over at the picnic table covered in baked goodies and a large birthday cake. "Janice did all the baking."

"And permission to go off campus?" I raised an eyebrow, looking around at Nabiki Beach.

"You're looking right at her..." Rhythimi sweatdropped, glancing off at someone in the distance.

Ms. April suddenly came into view, and dressed in her blue bikini (which she totally rocked, oddly enough...) she was playing volleyball with the other students, getting a little too into it...

The teacher spiked the ball over the net, slamming it into one of the student's faces. "WOOHOO! TAKE THAT, RED TEAM!"

"THAT'S A FOUL!"

"OH COME ON! THAT IS SO UNCALLED FOR!"

"YOU HIT ME IN THE FACE! THAT'S A FOUL!"

"I CALL FOR A RECESSION!"

"THIS ISN'T COURT!"

I just sweatdropped, running a hand through my bangs, since my hair was up in a ponytail.

Rhythimi awkwardly grinned. "Let's just say that when you have a VERY bored teacher in desperate need of a day off, they sometimes might willingly volunteer to chaperone a trip to the beach for a day..." She chuckled as we watched Ms. April violently volley the ball back over the net, shouting very loudly. I knew she was competitive, but damn...

"Wait a damn minute." I turned harshly and quickly glared at Rhythimi. "How did you know it was my birthday!? I DIDN'T EVEN TELL YOU."

Rhythimi just sweatdropped. "Umm...I might've read your file?"

A vein bulged from my forehead as I unconsciously twitched my eye. "WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE A DAMN FILE ON ME!?"

"Oi, Rena!"

I stopped yelling when my face quickly turned the shade of a tomato; I had to turn my head away so Keith wouldn't see my face. Rhythimi just chuckled at my reaction.

Rhythimi kept laughing as Keith jogged up to us in his pair of black swim trunks. "Nice swim suit, you spazz." The blonde playfully punched Keith in the shoulder, still laughing a little.

Keith rolled his eyes before locking them on us. "And I'd have to say the same thing about you ladies." The smug, seductive smirk on his face made me want to punch him for whatever reason.

Rhythimi groaned as I recovered from my blush and shook my head. In contrast to Rhythimi's pink bikini, mine was solid black, and I had a black cover-up that concealed the very eye-catching tattoo that took up most of my back.

"Hey, Rhythimi!" Isaac waved to the blonde from across the beach, smiling brightly. "Want to go swim?"

Rhythimi turned to me apologetically before running off. "Sorry, gotta run. Have fun!"

And thus, I was left alone. With the red-head. Again.

I was so distracted muttering incoherent curses to myself that I barely noticed Keith walk over to me.

"You should thank her later." Keith nudged me with his elbow, watching Rhythimi and Isaac run towards the ocean in the distance. "She worked really hard to throw this birthday party for you."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed, immediately walking away from Keith. "Too bad I hate my birthday and don't celebrate it."

Keith was so shocked by my foul mood that he actually took a step back. "Hey, Rena, wait!"

I tuned him out and ran towards Breeze Hill, trying to go as unnoticed as possible.

The last time I was here, I was nearly killed. That machine, the Gigaremo? Somehow it controlled Mightyena and made him turn on me, forcing him to attack me. Thankfully, the cave filled up with water and nearly drowned the both of us before Mightyena could finish me off himself. He never would have forgiven himself if he did that...

It broke my heart to see him turn on me, even though it wasn't his fault. As conflicted as I am right now about my feelings towards the red-haired idiot and the two blondes, Mightyena has always been the only one in my heart, so if I ever lost him... I... I don't know what I'd do.

I never did find out anything about Team Dim Sun; the Rangers began their investigation after their appearance. Although, how they recognized me still has me boggled. No one knows who they are or what they're up to, but they have yet to make an appearance since then. Then again, that was only two months ago...

When I found myself up on Breeze Hill, I lightly closed my eyes and stood up on the very edge of the cliff with a delicate smile on my face, outstretching my arms as I took in a deep breath. "I'm finally free..."

"Free from what?"

I didn't even flinch at that rough, brusque voice. I knew he had followed me here, but I didn't realize he had caught up so quickly...

I turned my body halfway around to glance at him. "Keith."

Keith rose an eyebrow, stepping a little closer. "What are you free from? The party?" He joked, causing me to give him a torn smile. "I didn't think it was that bad..."

"No, not that." I sadly smiled, then flattened my lips into a thin line. "Keith, I... Haven't been completely honest with you about myself, and it's about time I told you the truth." I had a wrench in my gut as I spoke, and I felt as if a weight was pulling me down to the bottom of the ocean.

Keith rose an eyebrow as I sat down on the edge, and he came and sat down next to me. "I kinda figured." The red-head shrugged. "I always had this feeling that you were hiding something from me." He turned to shoot me a sideways glance, squaring his shoulders. "So. What's on your mind?"

Eight months ago, when I first started this job, I probably would be screaming at my future self right now, _"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT!? STOP! STOP RIGHT NOW!"_ But, unfortunately... This is just something I have to do.

And for once, I wasn't put up to this decision. It was my choice. I chose to tell him, because I...I want to.

"Keith, do you remember that day in the Library a few months back? When I ran away from you?" My voice got quieter and quieter with every word, and I absentmindedly rested my eyes on my mother's bracelet on my wrist and fiddled with it.

Normally, Keith would have cracked some sort of joke, but he uncharacteristically stayed quiet and just listened. "Yeah. How could I forget?" He stared ahead at the sun with his hands resting on the ground behind his back, just listening as the light breeze blew through his spiky red hair.

I stared down at my lap. "I ran away because you asked about my family." I cynically laughed when I felt my heart start to hurt from just thinking about it. "That's the thing, I don't have one."

Keith snapped his eyes open, staring at me oddly. "Wait, what?"

"I'm an orphan." I turned to smile at him despite the tears welling up in my eyes. "Kinda always have been, really."

Keith simply blinked over and over again. "Rena, I... I never knew." He frowned, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

I just shrugged. "Not your fault. I never told you." I stared off at the sun once again. "Now that I'm eighteen, I'm free. I never have to go back into the system again." I almost laughed at how relieved I was.

"Was it that awful?" Keith stared at me owlishly, a little shocked.

I just looked over at him with a blank stare. "You have no idea." I deadpanned, recalling my terrible childhood. "I was orphaned as a baby; my parents dropped me off on the doorstep of Castelia's Orphanage for Girls and never looked back." I bit the inside of my gums, trying to smother my anger. "I was forced to live there for the first nine years of my life..." I turned to face Keith, completely serious. "You're so lucky, you know? You grew up never having to worry about money, and you had a family." I stared fiercely into his eyes. "I had neither of those things. I lived nine years of my life in complete poverty, abandoned and alone... We were dirt poor, and I only ate once a day, if at all."

Keith was so in shock he was almost unable to comprehend this. "No wonder you hated my guts when you first came here..." He blinked, refocusing his gaze on me.

I scoffed, throwing my head back a little. "Yeah, you could say I was a little jealous."

"Why nine years?" Keith stared at me, abruptly changing the subject. "I mean, why did you only stay at the orphanage for nine years? Aren't you supposed to stay until you're either adopted or eighteen?"

"I...ran away." I awkwardly coughed, clearing the back of my throat. "I lived in the alleys for a whole month before someone found me and well...sorta unofficially adopted me." I tried to think of a way to explain my childhood with Sam without giving away the fact that we were thieves.

"Who were they?" Keith rose an eyebrow.

"Sam Monroe." I smiled gently as my father's name rolled off my tongue. "He took me in and taught me everything I know. We basically lived off the grid together with Mightyena, who was just a Poochyena at the time, until..." I found the words stuck in my throat, and it was like if I said them, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back from crying.

"Until...?" Keith drew out the word, trying to finish my sentence for me.

I stared blankly at the sun and deadpanned, "Until one week before my fourteenth birthday when he was murdered."

Keith simply stared at me with the most shocked and slightly horrified look on his face ever. "W-what...?"

"One day, he came home from work during a thunderstorm." I bitterly smiled, staring down at my lap. "I went to meet him halfway in our driveway when a strange black car pulled up, and then someone rolled down the window, and..." Keith pulled me closer and hugged me to get me to stop crying, which I hadn't noticed I was doing before until now. "They shot him in the back, Keith! They shot him in the back!"

"Man, Blue Eyes..." Keith somberly ran his fingers through my ponytail, letting me sob into his chest. I occasionally hiccuped for air through my tears. "You've been through more shit than I gave you credit for..."

I let out a cynical laugh. "Hah, yeah..." I sniffled, trying not to die from the overwhelming sadness that filled my body and tried to overtake me.

"Is that why you're so scared of thunderstorms?" Keith asked me, and simply exhaled when I nodded my head. "Aww, man... That's not a phobia, it just reminds you of what you saw that night..."

"We were going on a trip for my fourteenth birthday." I let go of Keith and forced myself to lock my emotions up, pulling myself together. "My father planned to surprise me with a vacation to the Sevii Islands for my fourteenth birthday, and I... Well, one week before my birthday, he was shot." I wiped at my eyes, trying to erase any evidence of my emotional breakdown.

"...who killed him?" Keith carefully asked the question, trying not to hit a nerve.

"I don't know." I stared off into the distance, letting the wind blow backwards through my ponytail. "The story's not over yet. It's only just begun."

_"You must make yourself completely emotionally-detached when it comes to any job, and also in general."_

_"It's best to ignore your emotions and try to feel the least amount of them as possible."_

_"The worst thing you can possibly do as a thief is to back out of a job."_

...

No, not anymore.

I found myself growing angry rememebering my father's words this time, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek hard. "You know what? Screw this." I abruptly stood up and overlooked the ocean, glaring intensely at the sun across the horizon.

"Huh?" Keith stared up at me blankly, completely oblivious to my inner argument with myself. "Rena, what are you talking about?"

Wordlessly, I ripped off my cover-up, revealing my butterfly tattoo to Keith. I stared down at the red-head, a little satisfied with the shocked look of admiration on his face at the sight of my tattoo. "I got this the day after my father was murdered. In a way, it's my own way of honoring him..."

"Blue Eyes..." Keith wore a sad, bitter smile. You could tell he wasn't really one for comforting others, but he could definitely feel my pain and empathized with it.

"I'm done." I shook my head defiantly. "I'm done detaching myself from people." I shot Keith a sideways glance, noticing that he was listening. "You know, I always thought it was best to hate people. To only look out for yourself. To never feel emotion." I balled up my fists and gritted my teeth. "But, I... I can't do this anymore. If anything, I'm stronger now. My hate isn't what drives me, it's emotion."

"Took you long enough." Keith smirked, staring up at me. "I was wondering when you'd figure that out."

"What am I going to do now?" The crushing realization dawned on me, and I stared down at the ocean. "Once we graduate, I have nowhere to go, so...now what?"

Keith rose an eyebrow, staring at me as if it was obvious and I was just too stupid to see it. "Easy. After graduation, I'm taking you home with me, and then we're going to become Rangers. What we've always wanted to be." That last sentence stung at my heart, since it was a lie.

My face betrayed me and lit up red as I embarrassingly turned to look at him. "Y-you're not even going to ask if I want to go!? You're just going to take me anyways?"

Keith chuckled. "That was the plan."

I shook my head. "Unbelievable..." I stepped closer to the edge, peering over. I found it ironic that even though I was technically quitting the job I somehow found myself accomplishing my goal in the end. "You know, I always wanted to go like this." Keith jolted at my words, and I slightly turned my head to look at him, keeping my back to the red-head. "It's no fun if it's not on your own terms." I stared down at the rushing water crashing against rocks below me, smirking a little. "I've always imagined one day I'd jump off a building or something. That would be my way to go..." I paused, then shrugged my shoulders. "Then again, I am a bit of a thrill-seeker."

Keith just shook his head. "That's not what I think. I'd like to think everyone lives out their lives until the moment Arceus chooses for them to end, whether that's on our own terms or not." Keith stood up, admiring the view of the sun dancing across the ocean water.

"Hmm." I bit down on my lower lip. "Perhaps." I turned my head to stare at the sun once again, thinking something over. "I don't want to die. I'm actually kind of...scared. I guess what I'm just trying to say is I am more afraid of someone ending me rather than giving myself the chance to pull the trigger, which would be a lot less scary..." I tried to form my thoughts into words, which didn't come easily.

"I guess that makes some sense." Keith stuffed his hands in his shorts pockets. "But I guess we just have clashing opinions again." He laughed incredulously to himself, shaking his head. "You jump off of buildings, beat the crap out of people with incredible skill, climb through air vents to simply escape detention..." Keith stared at me with a confused smile. "Is there anything you don't do?"

I smiled to myself at his question, extending my arms and feeling the sun's warmth on my skin. "Fly."

Keith chuckled to himself. "Well, someday I'll give you wings and make you fly. I promise." He joined me on the edge and grinned at me smugly, waiting for my reaction.

Could he really make me fly, and free me from my prison of glass?

I shut my eyes with a smile and stared down at my feet. "I'll hold you to that promise."

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Rena does NOT want to kill herself or die. The whole purpose of that scene is to show that even she's scared of dying and she's even more scared of being killed by someone like her father was. She's not going to kill herself, I promise. **

**That's all!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	25. Chapter 25: Oh My God, Stop

**(Rena's POV)**

She obnoxiously bumped me with her elbow before not-so-discretely winking in my direction. "So, Rena... Prom is coming up soon. Are you gonna go?" Rhythimi grinned at me brightly. "Isaac heavily suggested that I should go with him...hehe." She squealed to herself like a smitten little school girl.

Mightyena was with me, but Eevee was still napping upstairs. We were both sitting at our lunch table on this Wednesday afternoon, just having finished up our math class for the day. And of course, since Rhythimi was actually on the Prom committee, she just had to bring it up.

I just rose an eyebrow and proceeded to take a rather large bite of my apple. "Why should I? I've got no one to go with."

"Umm, are you sure about that?" Rhythimi seemed to be holding back a laugh as she pointed to something behind me.

I simply just quirked an eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about..." I turned my head to look at what she was pointing to, and my expression immediately hardened. "Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Keith was down on one knee with a gigantic sign and a bouquet of red roses in his hand, grinning like an idiot. Everyone in the cafeteria was looking our way, since he was causing such a big scene, and it was painfully embarrassing. "Rena, would you please care to accompany my, and I quote, _posh ass_ to prom?" His grin only widened as he handed me the roses.

I took the roses from him and simply retraced my gaze from the stupid red flowers to the other stupid red thing in the room. "Why the hell are you asking me?"

The red-head just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, being the most popular guy in school, I have a reputation to uphold, and I need someone at least decently tolerable to go with me to the four hour dance." His eyes landed on me, and I elicited a groan.

"I'm only decently tolerable?" I shot him a sideways glance, absolutely irritated for reasons I didn't even know myself. Mightyena started cracking up, enjoying the show. "Yeah, because that charm you're using right there Prince Charming is really making me want to go with you even more." The sarcasm dripped off my tongue smoothly, making it sound completely natural.

He rolled his eyes at both the nickname and my sarcastic comment. "So, what do you say?"

I stared at him for a good five minutes before briskly turning back to my lunch. "No." I deadpanned, completely serious.

Rhythimi flipped her lunch tray out of frustration, almost hitting Mightyena with it. "Dammit! Now this stupid sexual tension between the two of you will never end!"

Keith pretended not to hear that and rolled his eyes. "It's just as friends, Rena. I'm not asking you out on a real date."

For whatever reason, that only just pisses me off more.

"It's still a no." I flashed him a hot glare, squinting my eyes tightly in his direction. Mightyena just shook his head at me, and of course I glared at him too.

"Fine, then." He responded with a careless shoulder shrug. "Then I'm just going to keep asking you in really embarrassing way until you say yes." Keith stood up and left the smirk that was directed at me linger on his face for a moment longer as he walked away.

My face paled in horror. "Don't you dare..."

"Can't hear you, I'm too far away."

"KEITH!"

* * *

"I still can't believe you turned him down." Rhythimi sighed as she walked with me outside onto the school's campus, shaking her head. "Rena, he's the most popular guy in school. No one turns him down." She fixed her stern gaze on me. "He wasn't kidding when he said he would keep asking you."

"How could I not turn him down!?" My cheeks flared bright red, and my hands flew up to my face to cover them. Mightyena stared at my blush curiously, highly suspicious. "That was so embarrassing! Everyone was staring at me!" The blush on my face may have been covered, but the tips of my ears weren't.

Rhythimi rolled her eyes. "That's because you guys are pretty much the couple of the school, and that's typically how prom-posal's go."

"Couple of the school?" I quirked an eyebrow at that, suddenly growing very serious. "What do you mean? Rhythimi, we are not a couple." I held my arm out in front of her, getting my point across.

Rhythimi smiled innocently, batting her eyelashes at me. "Well, you two sure do act like a couple, and everyone but you sees it."

I gagged on nothing in particular. "Fa...wha-HUT?" I stared at her unbelievably. "We so do not!"

I don't think even Mightyena believed that.

She stopped walking and stared at me directly in the eyes. "You two wrestle each other, pick on one another _all the damn time_..." Rhythimi started counting these things off on her fingers. "You're always flirting, you're practically inseparable..." She threw her head back and scoffed. "Hell, you two even nicknamed each other!"

I paused, blinking at her repeatedly. "...those are couple-y things?" I murmured my question almost inaudibly.

Rhythimi abruptly slapped her forehead, and Mightyena did the same with his tail. "Yes, Rena. They are."

"I'm...not sure how I feel about that." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "I thought that was a normal thing friends did."

Rhythimi was clearly annoyed at my naivety. "Sweetie, do you do those things with Isaac?"

"...fair enough."

"Yeesh... You two give me grey hairs."

I chuckled lightly at that, shaking my head. Rhythimi locked her eyes in my direction, and I could immediately tell she wanted to ask me something. "Well don't just stare at me like an idiot, just ask me what it is you want to ask me."

Rhythimi hesitated, taking in a deep breath. "I know I've asked you this a million times before, but I want you to answer me honestly this time." She placed her hands on my shoulders, holding me in place. "Rena, do you like Keith?"

Before I could say no, I hesitated, and Rhythimi definitely saw it. "I, uh..." I shamefully stared down at the ground, unable to come to a conclusion for that question. "I don't know."

Mightyena shot me a worried glance, and I knew that look meant he was thinking _you just compromised the whole job. _

"Hm." Rhythimi pressed her lips together into a thin line, letting her hands drop back down to her sides. "Well, think on it some more for me, okay?"

"Why?" I felt almost startled by both the question and the serious way she delivered it.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Rhythimi's lips. "Despite all appearances he puts up, Keith's actually fragile guy, and I know he likes you. It's obvious." She bobbed her head to the side, resting her hands on her waist. "I just don't think he could handle rejection, especially from you. I hate to admit it, but you're his best friend now." She sadly smiled at me, and I was almost surprised that she willingly accepted the she had replaced by me in Keith's heart. "Just don't break his heart. That's all I'm asking."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I was immediately cut off by a large exploding sound up in the sky.

**BOOM!**

**CRACK!**

**WHOOSH!**

"What...the?" I blinked up at the sky. "...fireworks?"

Fireworks were being set off in the middle of the day, and when they exploded, then spelled out "PROM?"

"RENA, WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?"

"I SAID NO, DAMMIT!"

* * *

Rhythimi was rolling on our dorm room floor laughing. Literally.

I mavelolently glowered at her from my bed, petting Mightyena affectionately. "It's not that funny."

"Of course it is!" Rhythimi laughed incredulously. "He had his butler from home bring him fireworks for prom-postal attempt number two!" She started dying laughing again, and my face reddened in embarrassment.

"SHUT UP!" I awkwardly shouted at Rhythimi, burying my face in Mightyena's fur. "I will never understand you rich people with all your extra money to waste..."

"Hey, I'm not rich." Rhythimi sat up from the floor, still laughing. "Keith and Isaac are the only insanely loaded ones here."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes, tightening my grip around Mightyena, who wasn't about to say no to getting all of this attention.

"What do you think he'll do next?" Rhythimi awed, immediately starting to day dream.

"I don't know!" My voice cracked when I shouted at her, and it sounded fairly high-pitch and squeaky.

"Oooh, I hope it's something romantic!" She gasped and clapped her hands together, then immediately ran to her closet. "Ooh, we should find you a pretty dress to wear."

"No! We really shouldn't!" I waved my hands around frantically, trying to get her to stop.

I feel like that one invisible person in the background of every sappy romance anime desperately trying to get noticed by their Senpai right now.

Rhythimi paid absolutely no attention to my pleas as she pulled out a hot pink cocktail dress with racer-back straps. "How about this one?"

I shook my head. "No, I would be popping out of that dress like crazy with my figure, and the half-loop stitch on the bottom hem is..." I abruptly stopped myself, then shook my head. "Wait, what am I saying?"

Rhythimi laughed so hard I swore she could've keeled over at any moment. "Fine, fine. No dress then." She hung the dress back up in our closet only to be forgotten about and never worn again. "Can I at LEAST do your makeup?"

I crossed my arms and glared off at nothing in particular. "If it gets you to shut up, then fine."

"Yay!" Rhythimi clapped her hands together. "I've been practicing my skills lately, and I think you'd be really proud of me!"

"Whatever." I shrugged her off, taking in a deep breath. "I..."

_"Attention, students of the Ranger School." _The school's intercom suddenly turned on, and I was already inwardly cursing myself when I recognized the voice. _"I have a question I would like to ask a certain girl out there."_

"No no no... Please, no..." I stared off at the wall hopefully as Rhythimi fell to the floor laughing again.

_"Rena Deveraux, will you __PLEASE__ go to prom with me?"_

"HELL NO!"

* * *

"Will you go to prom with me?" Keith grinned at his work behind me, trying not to laugh at the current state of my room.

I held onto my door and stared at him blankly before slamming it in his face. "No."

**SLAM!**

"Ow...hey!"

I muttered curses to myself, turning my back to the door and staring at the five hundred different bouquets of flowers that covered my entire room. Mightyena was having a blast, randomly shredding some of the bouquets with his sharp teeth and making an even bigger mess for me to clean up later.

Rhythimi blinked, then proceeded to violently sneeze. "Ah... Ah...ACHOO!" I even cringed at how painful that sneeze looked. "Oh my god, my allergies can't take much more of this..." Rhythimi distanced herself from the flowers as much as possible before latching onto my arms and shaking me. "Rena, for the sake of my sanity, _and my allergies_...PLEASE just say yes...?" She stared desperately into my eyes, hoping I'd agree.

I stared at her blankly for a good minute before turning to the door, jerking it back open. "Fine, I'll go with you." I only hardened my glare when Keith did a victory fist-pump. "But just as friends. This is not a date."

Keith laughed, throwing his hands up in defense. "I never said it was!"

"Whatever..." I lingered at the door for a moment longer before slamming it back in his face again.

**SLAM!**

"Ow...you don't have to do that every time, you know!"

"Yes I do."

When I turned back around, Rhythimi was grinning at me brightly. "You sure you don't like him?"

"Shut up. Mind your own business..."

"ACHOO!"

"Eww! Your snot is all over me now!"

"Get these damn flowers out of here already!"

* * *

**XD XD XD okay okay, so I broke the awkward no-update-streak with a funny chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this!**

**Anyways, back to the story...**

**Prom is coming up, which is right before graduation, and that means...**

**:3 well, you know what that means. **

**I'm already in the process of building my safety fortress for when you guys form an angry mob and get ready to spear me and hang me from a tree for the feels I'm inevitably going to invoke. *goes back to digging the moat around my safety fortress* Now I just have to go get some alligators and I'll be all set...**

***cackles evilly and runs away screaming "read, review, and enjoy!"***


	26. Chapter 26: The Mile

**(Third Person POV)**

"So we're just running the mile today?" Fully dressed in her gym clothes, Rena asked Mr. Kaplan her question.

"Yep." Kaplan nodded his head. "The distance from the Gym, across the bridge, and to Vientown and back adds up to about a mile." He nodded approvingly to his favorite student, patting her on the head. "I expect you to have the best mile time out of everyone."

Rena just threw her head back and scoffed. "Oh please, Kaplan. You've seen me run. You know I will."

Kaplan chuckled at her confidence, shaking his head. "Go ahead and leave Mightyena with Ms. Claire for when you're running." He pointed to a woman with short, dark brown hair and green eyes. Her baseball cap covered most of her face.

"Her?" Rena pointed to her, and when Kaplan nodded his head, she crouched down to face Mightyena. "Alright, boy! Go hang out with that woman over there while I go run for a bit, okay?" She placed her hands on the side of his face, affectionately pressing her forehead to his.

Mightyena was reluctant to leave his master, but with a sigh and a small whine, he turned around and went to join Ms. Claire and the other family Pokemon the various students had left in her care. He immediately layed down in the sun with Rhythimi's Eevee, deciding to take a nap himself.

Kaplan shoved Rena's back a little in the direction of where the rest of the students were waiting at the spray-painted start line on the grass. "Now, go on! Go join your classmates so we can get started!"

"Fine, fine." Rena groaned, turning her head to look at the crowd of students. She jogged over to her two blonde friends when she spotted them, and they both looked absolutely miserable. "Why do you two looks so dead right now?"

Isaac sighed sharply, slumping his shoulders. "I'm not much of a runner."

Rhythimi was already sweating, even though they hadn't even started running yet...somehow. "Oh my god, this is exactly why I'm becoming an Operator and not a Ranger..." She panted, already tuckered out.

Rena chuckled at the two physically-inactive blondes. "Oh my god, you two are absolutely pathetic..."

"Shut up." Rhythimi swatted at the brunette, who laughed and playfully dodged the attack. "Not all of us are built for physical abuse like you and Keith are."

"What about me?" The red-head himself asked, suddenly deciding to appear.

Rena turned her head to look at Keith and immediately narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, it's you."

Keith instinctively threw his hands up defensively. "Great, what did I do this time? I don't think I've pranked you lately..." He pressed his index finger to his lips, thinking it over. "...nope. I've got nothing."

Rena sighed in annoyance, and as soon as Mr. Kaplan blew the whistle, she took off running as fast as she could.

Startled by her impeccable speed and the various complaints of the students around him that were starting to jog, Keith was already falling behind Rena in the race. "Oi, Rena! Wait up a sec!"

Rena rolled her eyes as the red-head caught up with her, and she already was out the school's front gate and the student furthest ahead. "Leave me alone, you posh asshole."

Keith grimaced at the insult. "Ouch... Care to explain what I did to deserve that?"

Rena groaned when he matched her pace and started jogging right next to her, and she glared right at him. "Did you already forget about your damn prom-posals yesterday?"

"What, you're not still pissed about that, are you?" Keith stared helplessly at Rena, who immediately scoffed and picked up her pace. "Okay, you're still pissed about that. Wait, Rena! Wait up!"

* * *

**(Rena's POV) **

"Rena, wait up!"

I just groaned, kicking myself inwardly. Why does he always have to be so damn persistent!?

When he caught up and started jogging with me side-by-side again, I just shot him a malevolent glare. "What do you want?"

Keith sighed, pitifully looking at me. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you, alright? I just really wanted you to go with me."

I clicked my tongue derisively as I stepped onto the bridge, jogging across the water than ran beneath it. "Why?"

Keith mulled it over for a second before quietly saying, "because there's really no one else I'd rather go with," to himself.

I was so shocked that I stumbled and tripped over an easily-avoidable rock, skinning my knee on the dirt path. "Ow!" I gritted my teeth, now on the ground with my messed up ponytail in front of my face.

"Holy... Rena!" Keith skidded to a halt, crouching down beside me. "Ouch... Are okay?" He eyed the scrape on my knee that was just now starting to bleed, cringing a little.

"It smarts, but I'll live." I gritted my teeth, more annoyed than I was in pain.

"Come on, I'll carry you back." Keith motioned to scoop me up in his arms, and I quickly stopped him.

"What are you doing!?" I held out my hands to push his arms away, glaring up at his red eyes.

Keith stared back down at me with a glare, annoyed with my stubbornness. "I'm picking you up. What does it look like I'm doing?"

I awkwardly stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact. "You don't always have to do that for me..."

"Of course I do, Blue Eyes." Keith effortly scooped me up in his arms despite my loud protests, staring down at me. "That's what friends are for."

...

Oh my god.

My eyes widened in horror while I stared into Keith's Ruby-red eyes, just now having something register in my brain. It kinda felt like something just...clicked.

...Rhythimi was right.

Flustered and not knowing how to react to this strange new feeling, I lightly punched Keith in the chest, putting up a fight. "Put me down, you ass!"

"HAH! No."

"Oh come on, just put me down already!"

"And let you go? Never."

"UGH!"

* * *

**(Third Person POV) **

That night, back in Rena and Rhythimi's dorm...

Rena stood out on the balcony, and the bright laptop screen contrasted with the dark night sky sharply. She had borrowed Rhythimi's laptop to browse prom dresses online.

"Damn asshole..." Rena cursed herself, narrowing her eyes at the computer screen as she kept scrolling and looking for a dress to buy. "Why did I have to let a literal Prince Charming sweep me off my feet? Tch. Fucking emotions..."

**Ring ring!**

Rena stopped what she was doing and pulled the burner cell out of her pocket, quirking an eyebrow as she picked up the phone. "Ice? What do you want...?"

_"Rena, I'm concerned about you." _Ice sighed, starting to sound a little afraid for Rena. _"Is everything okay with you?"_

"I'm fine." Rena didn't give him a chance to say anything else. "And yes, I'm still going through with the job, so you can stop asking." She lied right to his face, not even hesitating.

Ice paused before taking in a deep breath._ "Rena, you're my friend. You know you can tell me anything. Is something on your mind?"_

"There's nothing to tell." Rena quickly hung up the phone, jamming it back into her pocket.

The brunette quietly listened to the background noise of Kricketots and Kricketunes chirping to the starry night sky, refocusing her attention back on the computer screen.

"Damn... If I'm not careful with how I go about this, I could end up like my father and get myself killed..."

* * *

**Hehe ^-^ two updates in one day. I just love to spoil you guys. **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	27. Chapter 27: Confiding in You

**(Rena's POV)**

I reached up to knock on the door, but I quickly drew back my fist and wrapped my arms around my torso. Oh, what am I doing...?

I took a few steps backwards and turned around, clutching my head with my hands. What am I doing, what am I doing!?

Mightyena worriedly stared up at me as I continued to pace back and forth, and he barked questionably. I jerked my finger towards the front door and stiffly spat out my order. "Get out."

Mightyena widened his eyes at my tone, and although he was hurt, he listened and left the room.

I quickly turned towards the door and helplessly held my hand out as I watched him leave. "Mightyena, I..." I paused when he was gone and couldn't hear me anymore, letting the feeling of soul-crushing regret take its place in the pit of my stomach. "I'm sorry..."

I couldn't let him see me like this. I couldn't let him see me so weak, and as such a failure... I've never struggled this much with any job before, and he would be disappointed in me. I know he would be.

I turned to flicker my gaze at the name written across the office door in front of me, and I shook my head no and turned to leave through the gym's front doors.

I can't do this, I just can't... It's just so, so...so...

"Rena?"

Damn it all...

I gritted my teeth and stiffly turned my body, and I almost grimaced at the man who caught me trying to sneak away. "Ahah...uh, Mr. Kaplan! Fancy seeing you here!"

Mr. Kaplan quirked an eyebrow, eying me suspiciously. "In front of my office...?" He turned his gaze to his left, glancing at his office door and then back at me in time to see me sweatdrop. "Rena, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

I kicked at the ground, intertwining my hands together behind my back. "It's nothing, really..."

"Well at least don't lie to my face." Kaplan chuckled before ushering me inside. "Come on in and tell me what's on your mind."

I sighed deeply and complied, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. It's not like he gave me much of a choice, did he?

"Alright, so what's wrong?" Mr. Kaplan took a seat at his small desk, fixing his eyes on me.

I squirmed uncomfortably in my chair. "I have a code, you see. And I...broke it."

Kaplan quirked an eyebrow at that. "A code, you say? And how exactly did you break it?"

My cheeks reddened so dark I thought I would faint from dizziness as I sank further into my chair. "I...fell for someone I wasn't supposed to."

Kaplan stared at me seriously before eliciting a light chuckle. "Ah, young love... It's such a wonderful thing."

"Not in my case..." I exhaled sharply, worrying Kaplan. "I can't tell you why, but by falling for this guy, I've put both him and myself in danger. And my friends..." I tearfully stared down at the ground, and I refused to let my tears spill over onto my cheeks.

"Rena, what is going on...?" Kaplan cautiously stood up from his desk, walking over and taking the seat next to me.

"I said I can't tell you..." I grimly reiterated myself, sitting up straight again. "I just don't know what to do anymore... I think it would be best for everyone if I just forget about him and walk away from this."

Kaplan looked at me seriously with a torn look. "Well, everyone except for you."

I turned to fix my gaze on him, almost a little startled by what he had said. "What...?"

"If what you say is true..." Kaplan started to say. "...then that would be the ideal choice to make for everyone's sake except for you." He stared over at me from his chair, quirking an eyebrow. "Rena, how do you really feel about him?"

I choked down a sob and Kaplan immediately flinched, hoping it wasn't his fault that I was starting to cry. "I... I can't say it out loud..."

"Why not?" He worriedly asked, handing me a tissue box.

I clutched a tissue tightly in my hands, gritting my teeth slightly. "If I say it out loud, then all it will do will make it seem more real..."

Kaplan let me rest against his shoulder as I cried, and he occasionally patted me on the shoulder. "There, there... It'll be alright."

"You can't promise me that." I choked out a reply in-between tears.

"No, you're right. I can't, as much as I may want to." He stared down at me and handed me another tissue. "Rena, you're my favorite student. Do you know why?"

"Why, because I love your class and actually try my hardest unlike your other students?" I sarcastically rolled my eyes, making Kaplan chuckle at me.

"No, that's not why." He quieted his laughter, patting me on the shoulder again. "It's because from the moment I met you, I recognized you as a strong individual."

"Strong?" I sat up a stared at him with my red and puffy eyes. "How so?"

Kaplan ruffled my hair like a father would do to his daughter. "You're strong-willed, determined, and filled with boundless willpower. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to." He looked into my eyes with a sad smile. "Rena, I can't promise everything will be okay because that is entirely up to you."

"So what should I do, then?" I asked, a little frustrated and stressed out with all of this vague advice.

Kaplan took off his baseball cap and stressfully ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, you're asking the wrong person. I've been in love with a woman I've worked with for over ten years now, and I have yet to work up the courage to tell her..."

"Who, Ms. April?" I pitched my question innocently, and I almost laughed at the look of horror on his face.

"Oh god no." Mr. Kaplan shook his head. "I would never be able to handle a crazy woman like that." We both laughed at that, knowing it was true.

"Then who..." I caught Kaplan looking at something behind me unconsciously, and I turned around and spotted the small office across the hall from his. A woman with brown pigtails was furiously writing something at her desk, completely focused and engrossed in her work. "...Ms. Claire?"

Kaplan let his head rest in his hand depressingly. "I just don't know what to tell her...I don't even think she thinks of me that way. And I really don't feel like getting rejected and ruining our friendship."

"But what if she likes you too?" I blinked repeatedly, starting to regain my pale complexion and recover from crying.

"I suppose we're both facing similar problems." He chuckled lightheartedly, messing up my hair once more. "Now, how do you feel about him honestly?"

I paused and stared down at the floor, shamefully hiding my eyes with my bangs. "I think I... Might actually... L-lo..." I stop myself and swallowed hard, trying to muster up some courage to say it out loud. "I think I might...love him. Although, I'm not really sure when that even happened..."

Kaplan shrugged his shoulders casually. "Love sorta sneaks up on you at the worst possible time, and you don't even notice until it's too late." He looked over at me again in his chair, thinking something over. "You always find love in the place you least expected to. That's something I've learned over the years."

"It feels...strange." I interrupted him, biting the inside of my cheek. "To say it out loud, I mean. I didn't ever think I would fall in love in the first place, so this whole situation has me feeling like..."

"Not yourself at all?" Kaplan took the words right out of my mouth, smiling all-knowingly.

"Yeah..." I stared at him a little dumbfounded. "How did you know?"

"I'm in the same boat as you, kid." He messed up my hair again, laughing heartily. "I guess all the advice I can really give you Rena is to make the choice you think is right."

I frustratingly glared at Kaplan, overwhelmed with stress. "But how do I know if the choice is right if both have terrible consequences?"

Kaplan shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what to say. "I don't know, kid. I guess that's something you'll have to figure out for yourself."

"I don't deserve him..." I shook my head, wiping at a stray tear rolling down my cheek. "He could do so much better than me. He's destined to be a hero, and he deserves someone good like him..." I shut my eyes tight, shaking my head. "I'm no hero, I'm the villain..."

Kaplan listened to me quietly before saying something I would never forget. "Heroes aren't born, Rena. They're made. If you want to be the hero instead of the villain, then you can."

I blinked at him incredulously before half-smiling at him unintentionally. "Thank you, Mr. Kaplan."

"Anytime." He stood up and ruffled my hair one last time. "You come talk to me any time you need me, alright?" He suddenly had a thought and grabbed a business card, then scrawled his phone number on it and placed it in my hand. "And here. I know you're graduating soon, but that doesn't mean you can't still talk to me. If you need anything, and I mean anything, I'm just one call away."

I blinked down at the card in my hands in disbelief, almost smiling at how nice of a gesture it was. "Thank you..."

"So, do you know what you're going to do now?" Mr. Kaplan inquired, holding his office door open for me.

I turned to walk out the door, and as I opened my mouth to say no, I froze when I spotted Ms. Claire stealing a glance at Mr. Kaplan from inside her small office. I half-smiled when her face flushed in embarrassment and she quickly turned her gaze back down to her work at her desk.

It felt like I stared at her for the longest time while I realized something. And instead of telling him that I was still uncertain, I said "...I do now."

When Kaplan smiled and closed the door behind me, I left the back of the gym and pulled my cell out, hitting the number one on my speed dial. I held the receiver up to my ear as I waited for destiny to decide my final fate.

**Ring ring!**

_"Hello?"_

"It's me, Ice. Listen, I..."

...

"I want to back out of the job."

* * *

**Aren't I just terrible for leaving you with that cliffhanger XD? **

***meanwhile all of you FabricationOfLiesShippers are celebrating and you ColdHeartedShippers are plotting my death***

**I have an announcement to make, guys. You see this chapter? This was the last filler chapter of the book. Chapters 28 - 40 are going to be so intense, plot-driven, and action-packed that you won't be able to catch a break from cliffhangers at the end of the chapters. **

**XD I'm sorry. But I do love you all, I promise!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	28. Chapter 28: Keep Those Lips Sealed

**(Rena's POV)**

"Rena, are you ready yet?" Rhythimi knocked on our bathroom door, impatiently trying to catch my attention. "The boys will be here any minute, and we need to get down to the ballroom in time for..." When I opened the door, Rhythimi was left speechless as she stood there stunned, staring at me as a bright smile stretched across her face. "Oh, Rena... You look absolutely beautiful!" She placed her hands on my arms, smiling at me happily.

My dress was charcoal-black and stretched down to the floor. It was form fitting enough to show off my curves, but it flowed outwards towards the bottom. My dress was strapless with a heart-shape top, and my black high heels made of glass were only half hidden underneath it. Glittering white rhinestones decorated the right side of the dress around the slit for the leg, creating a swirling pattern. I had fashioned my hair into a fancy up-do and put on light makeup, and I honestly felt super fucking embarrassed about all of this girly shit and I just wanted to go home.

Rhythimi started to tear up and fan herself, and I just gawked at her as if she was Mr. Kaplan wearing a pink tutu and a matching tiara. "Gah...what the hell are you doing!?" I sighed in annoyance and crossed my arms. "It's just prom. A stupid dance that'll be over in four hours."

"Oh, but I just can't help it!" She squealed through her light tears, embracing me in a sudden hug. "You just look so gorgeous and I'm so proud of you!"

I just glared across the room over her shoulder at nothing in particular as she hugged me awkwardly. "I'm not sure what exactly I did, but oh-kay then."

"You're gonna knock him dead off his feet tonight!" Rhythimi let go of me and chuckled, and she turned around. "Rena, can you zip up my dress the rest of the way?"

"Sure." I shrugged my shoulders and pulled at her zipper, zipping up her light peachy-pink princess dress. "Are you ready to go now or what?"

"Of course!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "I finally have an excuse to dance with Isaac. I am not missing out on this." Her wicked grin was so evil I was almost a little proud of her myself.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I glanced over at a sleeping Mightyena and Eevee from across the room, kind of worried. "You sure they'll be alright by themselves?"

"Of course they will!" Rhythimi laughed, lightly shoving my shoulder. "It's not like they're our babies or something. They can take care of themselves!" She hesitated when I gave her a weird look, and she quickly sighed in agreement. "Alright, so they kind of are, but they'll be fine! I'm sure!"

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

"Ladies, are you ready to depart? The dance is starting soon."

"I don't care if they're ready or not, if they don't open this door in the next five minutes, I'm kicking it down and dragging their frilly asses out here."

Rhythimi and I simultaneously rolled our eyes, knowing how painfully obvious it was to discern who said what. "And there are our dates..." We said the same thing at the same time, then walked over to the door.

When we opened the door, Isaac immediately looked like he was about to die at the sight of Rhythimi in that dress with her hair up and curled, and Keith was looking down my dress. Wait what?

"You pervert!" I instinctively uppercutted him, making him stumble back a little from the impact of my fist slamming into his nose.

"OW!" Keith complained, clutching his face. "So what, I'm a guy! Shoot me!" He rolled his eyes, then went back to tugging at his tie as soon as the pain subsided. "Ugh, I hate these damn things..."

I rolled my eyes sarcastically and stepped forwards. "Let me help you, dumbass."

"Thanks." Keith sarcastically rolled his eyes as well, letting go of the 'death trap' and letting me fix it for him.

"Hm." I almost chuckled darkly under my breath. "You would think Prince Charming would know how to tie his own tie, given his social status and numerous formal events he has to attend regularly." I raised a curious eyebrow at Keith, who's eyes immediately rolled at my comment.

"Hardy har har." Keith shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "It doesn't matter how many times I have to dress up for all the shitty parties my dad makes me go to; I still hate wearing these stupid Aipom suits..."

I was about to laugh at the red-head before I caught sight of a certain blonde-haired princess out of the corner of my eye. Rhythimi was anxiously watching this encounter between Keith and I, practically bouncing out of her skin.

I felt my face heat up and flush ever so slightly, and not wanting to stick around any longer, I grabbed Keith's hand and started dragging him down the hallway. "Come on, let's go to this stupid dance already..."

Keith grinned brightly as I dragged him past Rhythimi and a white-tux Isaac. "Alright then. Time to party!"

* * *

This is it. No backing out this time. You have to do this, Rena. You have to.

I shyly stole a glance at Keith as we were just seconds from entering the decorated ballroom filled with lights and music, trying to work up the courage to finally do something that I've been wanting to do for a long time.

...tell him everything. And I mean everything.

Tonight, I'm going to tell him who I really am, what I'm really doing here, that I quit the job after making friends with him for real, and just pray to Arceus that he can forgive me somehow.

Er...but when exactly is the right time to do that?

It's not like I can just pull him aside in this giant ballroom filled with people and say _"I've been lying to you about everything this whole time, and oh yeah, I also think I'm in love with you."_

...yeah. Something tells me that wouldn't go over well.

The school's ballroom was fantastically decorated by the prom committee and Rhythimi, filled to the top with white lights and Lumiose City-themed decorations, including a small replica of Prism Tower at the back of the ballroom. Every student in the whole school was either out on the dance floor dancing, relaxing at some of the tables, or getting punch and pastries on the tables at the back. Even the teachers were out dancing, and I almost cracked up laughing at the sight of Mr. Kaplan disco dancing and being yelled at to stop by an embarrassed Ms. Claire.

"Wow." Keith blinked owlishly at the massive ballroom. "I must say, Blondie, this actually isn't half bad..."

Rhythimi curtsied in her pink princess dress, which was given to her courtesy of the loaded Isaac. "Why thank you! This is exactly why I'm the leader of the Prom committee every year."

Isaac marveled at the white-themed room. "It looks lovely. Even better than the balls I host at home." The smitten blonde boy turned to his princess with a smile. "Maybe you should work part-time as a party planner. You are really good at it."

Rhythimi almost blushed visibly at his compliment. "Thank you, Isaac." She smiled sweetly at him.

I just gagged and grabbed ahold of Keith. "Yuck. Two awkward people awkwardly flirting with each other." I started to walk away from Isaac and Rhythimi, dragging Keith along with me. "Later, blondies." I waved good-bye to them without turning around, making a cool exit with a snickering Keith by my side.

Rhythimi's jaw crashed to the floor as her face lit up red from embarrassment. "Hey! Where are you going!? WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A GROUP! AS IN ALL FOUR OF US TOGETHER!" She shouted at my back angrily, failing to have an effect on me.

Isaac chuckled at my dramatic exit, not entirely surprised, and when a slow song came on, he turned to Rhythimi and held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

Rhythimi stopped her incoherent shouting long enough to widen her eyes at Isaac, and with a tomato-colored face, she grabbed ahold of his hand and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. "A-alright..."

I stopped dragging Keith when we were about ten feet away from the glass windows and doors that lead out to the balcony, and I stared out at the starry night sky for a brief moment. Keith followed me over towards the window and took his place standing next to me.

"You really do look nice in that dress by the way." He grinned down in my direction, smothering the urge to do anything perverted again and actually pretended to be a respectable guy for once.

I just snorted derisively. "Thanks." I backed up a little and spun around in a circle for him. "Black is just my color I guess."

Keith chuckled, and he grabbed my hand to spin me around properly one more time and get a better look at my glittering dress. "Well, it sure suits you."

"Why, thank you." I sarcastically smiled up at him, and I placed my hands on his chest. "And you really do clean up nice. I know you hate them, but the black tux does look good on you."

Keith just scoffed. "Yeah, okay. I get it. You don't have to lie right to my face." He rolled his eyes.

I lightly smacked him with a laugh. "No, really! I'm being serious!"

Keith rolled his red eyes until they landed on me. "Well, can you spare five minutes of your time to dance with a posh asshole like myself?" He did a comical bow, never getting rid of the silly smirk on his face.

I laughed so hard at his offer that it was nearly unattractive. "Alright, fine. But, tell me something..." I let my hands drop to my sides, looking up into his eyes. "Can Prince Charming dance?"

He quirked an eyebrow as a playful smirk danced across his lips. "Well, that depends. Can you, Blue Eyes?"

I stepped a little too close to Keith and placed both of my hands in his, pulling myself into a dancing position up against him. "I most certainly can." I tauntingly winked at him, giving my consent to a dance.

And that was all the invitation he needed. When Keith picked up on the faster song playing in the ballroom, he pulled me a little father away from the windows to leave us enough space for dancing, and the next thing I know, we started to dance the tango. Yes, the tango. I almost wished Kim wasn't serving four years in prison right now just so she could see this.

We were moving so fast and elegantly that you would be surprised to learn that we weren't professionals who had practiced this routine a countless number of times before. He spun me around and pulled me back into him several times throughout our dance, and I was having so much fun dancing with him. Honestly, dancing with Keith rivaled how much fun it is for me to steal something. Pretty soon, more and more people began to crowd around us, and then someone thought it would be funny to direct one of the spotlights over us as we danced.

When I struck a pose at the end of the dance as Keith dipped me dramatically, the song ended, and our laughing was quickly drowned out by the loud roars of applause coming from the crowd. Slowly, more and more people began to break away and resume what they were doing before they came to watch us dance, and soon enough, I found myself face-to-face and alone with the red-head himself.

"Wow." Keith chuckled, blinking at me through his bright smile. "Where the hell'd you learn how to dance like that?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I panted slightly, trying to catch my breath. "But if you must know, all I have to say is the Oblivia region is pretty great for partying."

Keith just laughed at me, shaking his head. "Well, Blue Eyes, I have to hand it to you. That was pretty great."

"Yeah." I smiled, having a blast at Prom with Keith. Not that I'd ever admit that out loud to the egotistical moron... "That was a lot of fun."

We awkwardly stared at each other silently for a few moments, searching for something to say next. I just couldn't tear myself away from his fiery eyes, and I nearly lost my train of thought for a moment while looking into them.

You know what? To hell with it. It's now or never.

"Keith." I spoke his name firmly, taking in a deep breath. "I haven't been completely honest with you about something, and it's about time I came clean." I balled up my fists, trying to inflict pain on myself to keep me from trembling with fear.

Keith was a little surprised to hear that, and he took a step closer. "Rena, what's wrong...?"

I gulped nervously, shutting my eyes tightly. A single tear dropped from my eye and onto my cheek, and I tried to even out my voice so it wouldn't sound so shaky. "Keith, I..."

**Bzzzt!**

I inwardly cursed myself when my cell that was strapped to my leg under the dress vibrated. I parted the fabric around the leg slit in my dress and lifted my cell from the harness I had strapped to my leg that acted as my purse, and I looked at what was on my lock screen. It was midnight, and I had one single text message.

_"Look outside."_

I blinked in confusion for a few seconds before I looked up and across the ballroom over by the balcony, and what I saw out there nearly caused me to pale all over in horror.

Ice was standing out on the balcony, looking directly at me through the glass door before walking further down the balcony and disappearing from my sight.

"Uhh..." I hesitated my speech as I put my phone back away. "I'm sorry, I'll be right back. There's something I have to take care of first..." I started to tear myself away from Keith and inconspicuously make my way towards the balcony, trying not to catch the attention of the various chaperones looming throughout the ballroom.

"Wait, Rena!" Keith called out to me, holding up his hand to signal me to stop.

I hurriedly disappeared into the crowd and ran from Keith, dodging students left and right. When I reached the glass door, I jerked it open and quietly shut it behind me.

The icy cold wind brushed my shoulders, and I involuntarily shivered from being outside this time of day.

"Ice." I looked across from me, spotting the bluenette who was looking right at me from ten feet away. "What are you doing here...?"

Ice looked disappointed, and he narrowed his eyes at me. "You know exactly what I'm doing here, Rena."

I gulped nervously as I slowly began approaching him. "Look, Ice, I know what I did is unconventional, but..."

"Cut the crap, Raux." Ice bitterly cut me off, oddly switching from using my real name back to keeping this just professional. "We hired you to do a job, and after months of this, you just decide to back out!? What the hell are you thinking!?" Ice threw his hands up into the air out of exasperation, completely furious with me.

"I'm sorry, Ice!" I apologized again, truly sorry. "I just can't do this anymore! I said I'm sorry, but I just can't!"

"What do you mean you just can't!?" Ice glared at me, harshly yelling his words. "You were doing just fine before, so what possibly could have changed..." He slowed his speech and came to an immediate stop, then looked over at Rhythimi and Isaac dancing back inside the ballroom. "No... No, no way." He laughed like he was losing his mind as he redirected his gaze at me. "Don't tell me you've actually gone and made friends with these idiots for real!"

I was immediately on the defensive as I balled up my fists. "No! Of course not! I would never stoop so low!" I lied right through my teeth, but I had a feeling Ice wasn't buying that anymore.

Ice shoved me backwards a little with his palm. "You've grown soft, Raux. You were supposed to do this job for us. You can't just back out." He glared at me so confused that it seemed like he couldn't even believe that I would do something like this.

I blinked back tears. "Ice, I... Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I QUIT." I turned to leave, but he gripped my arm and pulled me back again.

"You're not leaving until you go through with the job." He stared at me with his icy-blue eyes similar to my own that were filled with determination.

I just shook my head. "No. I refuse."

Ice let go of me and slumped his shoulders before hanging his head. All he could do was sigh. "Rena..."

"Ice, please. I beg you." I gripped onto his shoulders, staring at him with a determined look on my face. "Let me back out of this. I...I just can't do this to them..." I sighed, looking completely crestfallen. "Rhythimi is amazing and wonderful, and I could never do this to her... I love her too much to leave her behind, and like this..." I let go of him, dropping my hands down to my sides.

Ice bit down on the inside of his gums before looking at me again. "Rena, look at me." I met his gaze when he asked me to. "I'm your friend. You can tell me what's going on."

For some reason, I felt like I just couldn't tell him the truth about how I really had befriended them. "Isaac is a genius." I continued my reasons, ignoring Ice's unspoken question. "He's so smart and funny, and I care about him and his little sister Melody a lot. He's the only person I've ever met that I don't have to talk down to, because he's at my level of intelligence, if not higher." I shut my eyes tightly, working up the courage to say my true feelings out loud to someone.

"Rena..." Ice tried to stop me, but I wouldn't let him.

I glared at Ice with fiery eyes burning with ferocity. "Ice, I can't do this job anymore because I LOVE KEITH!" I shouted that last part at the top of my lungs, nearly falling down from the impact it left on me from screaming it out loud. "I... I love Keith..."

"You...love him? HIM? But he's a complete MORON!" Ice never looked so shocked in his whole life. He nearly fell over from surprise, but that surprise soon melted into remorse. "Fine...if you won't see reason, you leave me no choice... I'm sorry, Rena. I truly am sorry."

I nervously laughed, shaking my head. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait. What do you mean?"

Ice refused to look me in the eyes as he spoke, as if he was ashamed of himself. "Rena, I came here tonight as a friend to give you one last chance to save yourself, and you blew it." He tightened his fists, shutting his eyes tightly. "I have direct orders from the boss to resort to drastic measures if you do not go through with the job, such as releasing your true identity and the entirety of your file to Interpol, inevitably leaving you out in the open for any cop to lock you in prison for the rest of your life."

It didn't seem real. It was like I wasn't even inside my own body and I was just watching this whole scene unfold from someone else's point of view. I felt like someone smashed that window right there and plunged one of the glass shards right through my heart and ripped it back out, then left me there to bleed out and die helplessly.

"You... You're..." I struggled to form a sentence as I scoffed incredulously. "...blackmailing me?" Ice didn't even say a word, and I only grew angrier and more upset as the seconds ticked by. "Ice, you can't do that! You can't!" I lunged forwards to punch his in the face, but he caught my fist.

"I'm sorry, Rena. I warned you." He shook his head as he restrained me, enduring my shouting and thrashing. "These are the boss's orders, not mine."

"NO!" I shouted, ripping myself from his grip. "You can't do this! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME DO THIS TO THEM!" I screamed at Ice through my tears, yanking at my hair.

Ice gave me that disappointed look one last time before he left me with his parting words. "But I already have."

* * *

My dress was wrinkled, my makeup was ruined, and I had tears pouring down my cheeks as I re-entered the ballroom. I avoided eye contact with everyone as I searched for comfort, and just as luck would have it, Keith found me first.

"Rena!" He shouted to me from across the ballroom, then started to jog over to where I stood. "I've been looking all over for you! What were you trying to tell me earlier..." The red-head froze when he saw me crying, and he immediately was on the defensive. "Hey, what the hell happened!? Which asshole's jaw do I need to break?" He over-protectively pulled me into him, glaring menacingly at random guys near us in the ballroom.

I sobbed uncontrollably into his black jacket, trembling in his arms. I tried to force out a sentence in-between each hiccup for air, but Keith couldn't understand my muttering.

He pulled his head back and tilted my chin up to make me look at him, and the first thing I saw was how concerned he looked. "Rena, what's going on...?"

My lip quivered, and I felt like my knees were about to give out. I have never felt so weak in my entire life. I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn't.

I was going to tell him everything today...

"Keith, I..." I started to say something, but Ice's parting words flashed in my mind before changing my answer for me. "I-I'm just s-scared I'm going to l-lose you after graduation. It is in two d-days, after all..."

Keith almost laughed from how relieved he was. "Oh, was that really it?" He hugged me tightly and rested my head on his chest, letting me cry into his jacket some more as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Rena, you'll never lose me. I promise. Hell, we'll probably get assigned to the same Ranger Base after this!"

I sniffled one more time and pulled my head back to look at him again. "Y-you c-can't promise me that..."

Keith flashed me a famous grin before planting a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Yes I can, so calm down and stop crying already, Blue Eyes. I'm not worth your tears."

I cried even harder at his words and heavily sobbed as I smashed my face into his jacket again. "Yes you are..."

* * *

**...I'm literally not going to say anything, because you're all going to kill me for this major plot twist and cliffhanger combined. ****Also, I left a large pile of tables out over here for you guys to flip out of frustration and anger. Here you go. *points to the 5,000 virtual tables***

**Read, review, and stay tuned for the next chapter!**

***runs away like a sugared-up squirrel* I'MGOINGTODIEI'MGOINGTODIEI'MGOINGTODIE-**


	29. Chapter 29: Graduation Day

**(Rena's POV)**

It was a hot, sunny day in June. The sixth day of June, to be exact. The intense heat was blaring, and a gentle breeze drifted through the air, brushing my long, dark hair past my face. I stood calmly on the edge of the pier in Ascension Square, staring out at the relaxed ocean waters that were shining as clear as the bright blue sky.

Everyone was inside spending time with their families, having a blast before the ceremony got started.

...except for me.

I'm out here all alone, simply because I can't go back inside. If I do, Ms. April will find me, and she will give me my Ranger Base assignment. I don't want to know where I've been assigned to, because it's just one more thing I will have to grieve the loss of when this is all over.

Today was the day. Technically, it was the last grifting day of the job. I no longer have to pretend to be someone I'm not, because I've already got Keith, the mark, wrapped around my finger. Even though I wish I didn't...

I hate this. I hate everything about it. I was only in it for the money at first, but now? All I care about is getting out of this alive and trying to save Keith and the others.

Ice is one sick bastard. I thought we were friends... I wish I could tell myself that I can't believe he would do something so horrible and betray me like this, but then I would just be lying to myself.

I should have saw it coming. I honestly feel so stupid for not even considering it... The boss has been trying to get these blueprints from Keith's father for three years now, so I should have known he's really determined to get them back. And that he really will do anything to get his hands on them. That much has been proven to me as of late.

Who are these people? What exactly are on those blueprints I'm supposed to steal? I... I've always told myself to not ask questions and just do it, but now? I'm starting to think I was lied to... Maybe the boss really was just some hell of an actor after all.

I don't want to do this anymore.

I should've seen it coming.

And yet, I distracted myself from the obvious threat lying in plain sight by doing the one thing I promised myself I would never do: fall in love.

But, I have to do this. And not for myself...for them. For him.

I hate this. I hate everything about it.

Today, two days after prom, was graduation. Yes, I was graduating today. In two weeks, I'm supposed to report to the Ranger Base of Lamont's choice and get ready to be a real Ranger. Keith is thrilled, finally ready to take action and become the man he's always wanted to be.

But me? I'm just mourning the loss of the life I could have had with him.

I laughed out loud to myself cynically, covering my face with my hand. "Oh, the irony..."

What's so funny about it is that I would actually like to go to my Ranger Base and be a real Ranger. Let's face it, my thieving days are over. All it's done is get the people I love hurt.

This is my last job.

...although, after the stunt I'm about to pull with Keith, I'll never be able to be a Ranger now. I'll be on the run for the rest of my life if I get lucky.

I'm sorry, father, but I don't want to be Raux for you anymore...

Sometimes I wonder if my parents hadn't abandoned me when I was a baby and I was raised normally, would I have had a normal life? Would I have wanted to become a Pokemon Ranger eventually? Would I have stumbled upon Almia's Ranger School, and maybe meet Keith on my own? And maybe, just maybe...we could have been together for real?

Although, I'm not sure I even want that now...

I don't deserve him. He deserves someone so much better... Someone who could love him and be...honest. About everything. Someone who isn't afraid of commitment like I am, and someone who would actually be able to settle down and give him the family he's always wanted.

He told me once on a sunny afternoon that he wanted five kids someday, preferably all boys. He didn't understand why that caused me to do a major spit-take and practically regurgitate my entire soda. Five kids? I don't even want one kid... And marriage? That's just... I can't. I can't be tied down. I'm not sure I'd even be comfortable with dating someone...

I've just always been a loner, and because of that, I can't give Keith what he really wants, even if I had been born into a normal life and met him on my own.

Even if I hadn't chose the life of a thief all those years ago...

Even in the perfect situation, we can't be together. And it's not him, surprisingly.

It's...me.

And now, I'm going to be forced to break his heart. And mine...

A sudden splashing noise caught my attention, and I looked up to see Mightyena swimming back over to me. He jumped back into the pier and shook out his fur, being careful not to drench me and my white graduation dress.

It's kinda funny that I'm wearing a white dress, if you think about it. I'm dressed like an angel, but in reality, I'm just another demon disguised like everyone else. I'm dressed like the white knight in every classic fairy tale, but I'm just...the villain. I always have been, because bad guys just don't get to be good guys. They never do.

_"Heroes aren't born, Rena. They're made."_

Well, that's just the problem, Kaplan. Heroes are made, but I haven't been given the chance to be anything but a villain, so I guess...

...it just isn't meant to be.

I'll never be a hero. I will be the villain, forever and always.

"Oi, Rena!"

"What the..." I started to turn around, and then quickly yelped with surprise when Keith crashed right into me. "KEITH! BE CAREFUL! YOU'LL KNOCK US INTO THE WATER, YOU IDIOT!" I scolded him as he held me up over his shoulder, punching and kicking him furiously whenever I got the chance.

Keith chuckled as he started to walk back to the school with me hefted over his shoulder. "Everyone's looking for you, you know. Come on! The ceremony is going to start in half an hour!"

"What, no!" I kept thrashing in his grasp as Mightyena trotted alongside us. "Put me DOWN!"

"Nope!"

"UGH!"

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

"Keith! Put me DOWN!" Rena growled as she pounded her fists on Keith's back, still being held backwards over the cocky red-head's shoulder.

As Keith stepped through the Ranger School's front door, he pretended to consider her request at least for a second before immediately turning her down. "Hmm, should I put you down? ...nah."

"UGH!" Rena thrashed in his grip again. "You are UNBELIVEABLE!"

Keith cracked up laughing, but he suddenly stopped and froze in place as soon as he got a few steps into the building. "...dad?"

An older man with dark, spiky auburn hair furrowed his brow at the sight of Rena over Keith's shoulder, questionably looking over his only son. "Hello, son." He then glared down at the mangy wolf-Pokemon and otter-Pokemon at Keith's side.

Keith instantly picked up on his serious demeanor and carefully set Rena down, standing her back up. "What are you doing here...?"

Rena shot Keith a weird look, and she lowered her voice to make sure Keith's father couldn't hear her. "It's your graduation and you're his only son... Wouldn't he be here for you?"

"I highly doubt it." Keith spoke stiffly as he hardened his glare on his father.

Joseph Dazzle fiddled with the cufflinks on his business suit. "I flew in for a business meeting with Lamont. I'm just waiting until after the ceremony to discuss a new opportunity with him." He pulled out his cell phone and started checking his email, paying Keith absolutely no attention.

Keith was almost disgusted with his father's disinterest in him, but he couldn't honestly say that he was surprised. "Now that sounds more like you."

"So." Joseph Dazzle locked his phone and shoved it into his jacket pocket. "Who's your latest conquest?" He eyed Rena up and down before reconsidering his choice of words. "Or perhaps a better word to use would be distraction."

"Dad, she's not like that." Keith sighed as he held up his hand in defense, trying to keep his father from getting the wrong idea. "We're not dating. This is my friend Rena."

Rena sheepishly waved to the strict man, trying not to take offense to his rather obvious insult. "...Hi."

Joseph still seemed unpleased. "I will be taking my leave of you now." He abruptly turned on his heel and stomped off, leaving Keith feeling ashamed of his own flesh and blood.

"God... I'm sorry." Keith stressfully rubbed at his forehead before turning to Rena. "He's an asshole. Sorry he implied you were most likely a gold-digging slut."

Rena just sweatdropped. "It's...alright. I've been called worse." Which wasn't a complete lie... "I'm guessing you two don't really get along?" She peered over Keith's shoulder to get one last glimpse at his father before questionably looking back up at him.

Keith just scoffed. "We used to before my mom died, but now? He's just a self-absorbed workaholic. I want nothing to do with the guy." The red-head scanned the crowd for a familiar face, in need of a distraction from the topic of his relationship with his father, and he looked a little relieved when he saw Rhythimi hanging out with her family. "Come on. Let's go introduce you to Rhythimi's family. I think you'll like that bunch of weirdos."

Rena almost showed her regret on her face at the mention of that. "Do we have to...WHOA!" Rena was cut off by Keith jerking her towards the other side of the room, not having much choice in what she was about to do.

"Oh, hey! Keith, Rena!" Rhythimi waved to them when she spotted them coming over, and she almost laughed at the sight.

Keith stopped dragging Rena when they joined up with their little group, and Rena just shot him an angry look.

"Who's this...?" A thirteen-year-old girl with dirty blonde hair and piercing grey eyes blinked at Rena, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stacey, this is my friend Rena." Rhythimi pointed over at Rena, then smiled brightly at the brunette. "And Rena, this is my little sister Stacey!"

"O-Oh!" Rena stumbled over her words, holding her hand out for Stacey to shake. "Nice to finally meet you! Rhythimi talks about you a lot."

Stacey rolled her eyes as she shook Rena's hand. "...Well at least don't lie to my face!" She chuckled, shaking her head. "Maybe once or twice, but a lot seems a bit unlikely."

Rena just laughed, as well as the light brown-haired man standing next to Stacey. "It's nice to meet you, Rena. I'm Rhythimi and Stacey's father." He shook the brunette's hand. "You can just call me Charlie."

"Nice to meet you too, sir." Rena chuckled at how funny and nice Rhythimi's family was, getting along with them just fine.

Charlie, Rhythimi's father, spotted a familiar blonde-haired boy off in the crowd, and he started to point to him. "Rhythimi, darling, isn't that boy over there the same one you're always talking about..."

"Shhh, DAD!" Rhythimi slapped her hand over her father's face, causing her sister to crack up laughing. "Cut it out! You're drawing attention to him!"

Isaac turned just in time to see Rhythimi slap her father across the face, and although he was confused as to what just happened, he couldn't honestly say he was surprised.

"Isaac, dear." Isaac's mother Caitlyn looked over at the man across the room pointing to her son. "Isn't that girl the one you're always talking about?"

Isaac embarrassingly turned his head back to glare at his mom. "Mother!" It was impossible for him to hide the deep shade of red staining his cheeks.

Rena shared a laugh or two with Rhythimi and her family before slowly breaking away from the group and letting her actual feelings show on her face.

She was just so sad...

Every one of her friends had family, even if they were arrogant jerks like Keith's father, but Rena was all alone...

Completely, and utterly alone.

She had no one. No one came to see her for graduation today because every member of her family was dead.

She began searching the crowd of students and their families out of desperation, and to her complete surprise, she found herself staring directly at...

Every bone in her body chilled as Rena widened her icy-blue eyes in horror. "...Ice."

When Ice made eye contact with her, he looked almost startled before he immediately began to approach her. However, like always, Rena did what she does best.

Run away.

"Rena, wait!" Ice chased after Rena as soon as she began to run away from him, desperately trying to catch up to her.

She couldn't run away from him. Not forever. She couldn't run away from the truth once he told her.

...if he could ever work up the courage to tell her.

...and also get her to stop running away from him. That was kinda important.

"Get away from me!" Rena snapped at him, jerking her wrists from his grip as soon as he caught up to her on the other side of the room. "I never want to see you again, you liar! You betrayed me!"

He tried his best to hide the hurt on his face. "I already told you that wasn't my choice to make!" Ice snapped at her in annoyance, frustrated that she didn't trust him anymore. "I was just following the bosses orders..." He tried to keep his voice down in order to not make a scene.

"Screw the boss!" Rena drew her hand back and slapped Ice right across the face, not holding back one bit. "I wanted out, and you wouldn't let me!" She narrowed her angry blue eyes at his, practically shaking with anger. "You were supposed to be my friend..." She brushed him off and walked away, just leaving him standing there.

Ice just sighed as two other people came up to him and joined his side.

"What's wrong, Ice?" A pink-haired girl dressed in a hot pink crop top and pencil skirt sinisterly looked into his eyes, trying to act all innocent. "Still obsessing over that stupid girl, I see?"

A burly man with rippling muscles, dark tanned skin, and unnatural yellow hair let out a hearty laugh. "Lavana, me and you both do know that girl be not just some person to obsess about for Ice." Despite his lack of intelligence, Heath never could shut up. Or talk like a normal person.

Ice tried to hide the grim look on his face and just shifted it into anger instead. "Shut up, Heath. We're not talking about this anymore."

* * *

"Big sister! Big sister!" A spazzy blonde girl spotted Rena and immediately chased after her, aiming to jump on her and hug her to death.

Rena just widened her eyes in horror as the little kid was about to completely bulldoze her, despite Melody's tiny size. "Wha...Melody! Look out!"

Keith turned around just in time to simultaneously see the crash, and catch Rena.

Well... Sort of.

**BAM!**

**CRASH!**

Rena collided front-first into Keith, Keith stumbled back and bumped into Rhythimi, and Rhythimi crashed into Isaac, creating an impossible domino effect.

Melody just sweatdropped as she looked up at the two pairs of people she accidentally pushed together. "Oops... Am I interrupting something?"

Both girls simultaneously shouted "NO!" at the top of their lungs, letting their faces light up as red as a Christmas ornament. They didn't waste any time in awkwardly breaking away from each other right after that. Although they were completely embarrassed, the Pokemon found it entirely amusing. Especially Mightyena.

Keith grinned like an idiot, leaning in towards Rena. "What, couldn't get enough of me, Blue Eyes?"

Rena drew her hand back and slapped her second guy tonight right across the face, just glaring at him the whole time.

"OW! THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

Flustered, Rhythimi slightly punched Isaac's shoulder, causing the mushroom boy to almost glare at her in confusion.

"Ow!" Isaac rubbed at his shoulder, whining under his breath. "What did you do that for, Rhythimi...?"

The perky blonde just shrugged her shoulders, not really sure herself. "Dunno. I just felt left out not hitting you, since Rena slapped Keith."

Melody busted out into a fit of giggles, unable to contain her amusement with these four. She took a step backwards and accidentally bumped back-first into a tall person's legs, and the little girl slowly turned around to face who it was.

This man towered over Melody, reaching a height of six feet and five inches tall. He was dressed in a mostly black suit with dark purple and navy blue accents. His long black hair was tied into a side ponytail, and his eyes were covered by black sunglasses. Just below his nose rested a black mustache, and overall this man had Melody staring up at him curiously.

"Hello, little girl." The man smiled gently as he bent down to her height. "My name is Blake Hall, and I'm looking for someone named Isaac Gram Bell. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Melody jumped up and down happily. "You're talking about my big brother! He's right over here; follow me!" She innocently took his hand in hers, dragging him over to Isaac and the others.

Isaac slowly turned to see his sister and a vaguely familiar man approaching him, and he was completely confused. "Melody, who is this?"

"Big brother, this is Mr. Hall!" Melody let go of Blake Hall and pointed up to his face, which was a great distance between that and her short arm. "He said he was looking for you!"

Rena was already in a bad mood from her chance encounter with Ice earlier, but this man in front of her... He was eerily familiar to her. And she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen him before.

"Wait, Mr. Hall?" Isaac blinked back his shock momentarily before stumbling forwards to shake his hand. "Oh! You must be Altru Oil's current president: Blake Hall!"

Blake Hall shook Isaac's hand graciously. "That would be me. Isaac, I have a business opportunity I would like to discuss with you..." Blake Hall placed his arm across the back of Isaac's shoulders, gentlemanly taking him aside from his three friends.

Rena visibly tensed up as she watched Blake Hall begin to discuss something with Isaac, and Keith instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Rena, what's wrong?" The red-head shot her a curious look.

Rena shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "I don't know... There's just something not right about that guy. I'm getting a seriously bad feeling..." She involuntarily shuddered in her white dress, and Keith motioned to rub her arms to warm her up.

Rhythimi blinked owlishly at Isaac and Blake Hall from across the room. "I don't know. He seemed like a pretty nice guy to me! Even Melody likes him." She smiled at the adorable little girl that was talking Blake Hall's ear off as he was chatting with Isaac. Blake Hall humored Melody the whole time and wasn't even bothered by her one bit.

Rena watched Isaac shake hands with Blake Hall and leave his side, then come back over to them. Isaac seemed very excited about something. "I've just been offered a job as the lead research scientist for Altru Oil! The president himself came to our graduation in person to offer me the job!"

Rhythimi excitedly leapt into Isaac's arms and hugged him tightly as he spun her around. "That's wonderful, Isaac! I'm so happy for you!"

And it was at that exact moment when Rena realized where exactly she had seen Blake Hall before.

She began scanning the crowd in a panic with her eyes, looking left and right for him. But unfortunately for her, it appeared that the great president had already slipped out and left.

That unnatural height, combined with that voice... There was no mistaking it.

President Blake Hall of Altru Oil was the boss.

Rena gritted her teeth and held in the urge to slam her fist through a wall, upset that she didn't recognize him sooner and that she let him get away.

"Rena?" Keith shot her a worried look, waving his hand in front of her face in order to snap her out of her trance. "Hey, come on. We should get going. The ceremony's about to start."

Rena mindlessly stared out the front door of the Ranger School with the most depressed look ever before she joined Keith at his side and took his arm in hers. "Alright... I'm coming."

* * *

**(Rena's POV)**

"Congratulations, graduates!" Principal Lamont clapped his hands at the podium up on stage, smiling at us all sitting in the chairs that filled up the school's grand hall. "I am truly delighted that I can be here with all of you: Rangers, Operators, Mechanics, and Scientists. Though these paths may take you in different directions, what I hope for all of you is but the same." He saw the bored looks on our faces and quickly laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to say something impossibly difficult or challenging." The crowd cracked up laughing at his joke before he resumed his brief speech. "Please, just don't forget to smile. That is all I wish of you." He smiled at us with his bright smile one last time before proceeding to his closing statement. "With these simple words, I wish you the very best of luck in all your endeavors."

We all applauded our Principal and stood up from our seats as he stepped down from the podium, joining the teachers lined up on both sides of the stage. Mr. Kincaid began making his way over to the stage, and he was quick to take the podium and instruct us all to sit back down.

"Thank you, Principal Lamont." Mr. Kincaid began, then suspiciously glanced over at me in the crowd. "Next, let me call upon this graduating class's valedictorian. That would be our best student: Isaac Gram Bell." He pointed to the blonde sitting two seats down from me, cueing everyone to applaud Isaac.

Isaac humbly stood from his chair and walked up to the podium, getting ready to give his speech.

He's been working on this speech for weeks. I would be surprised if it wasn't at least two hours long.

"Today, we leave the shelter of this place of learning and nurturing..." Isaac started to give his speech, and I instinctively tuned it out with a yawn.

I leaned over and rested my head on the red-head on my left, trying to get my mind off of how much time we had left together. "Are you listening to this? It's just so...boring." I yawned again, getting an angry glare from Rhythimi for ignoring Isaac's 'inspirational' speech.

Keith just scoffed, letting me rest my head on him and not really caring. "You kidding? I wasn't even paying attention to Lamont."

I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing out loud.

Just as I predicted, a solid two hours later, Isaac had FINALLY began to wrap up his painfully boring and dreary speech.

"...we will never forget. Thank you so very, very much! From all of us!" Isaac finished up his speech right as about half of the graduating class began to stir and regain consciousness.

Someone gave Ms. April a little nudge, and the auburn-haired teacher woke up from her nap. She cleared her throat before swapping places with Isaac at the podium, and she fixed her hair before speaking into the microphone. "I would like to call upon one student as the representative of the graduating class."

Rhythimi, who was sitting on my right, leaned over and began to whisper something to me. "Who do you think it is?"

I just shrugged as I took my head off of Keith's shoulder. "I don't know. Probably some lame geek who spent their time in the library studying all year." I scoffed, hardly paying attention to Ms. April at this point.

"Rena?" Ms. April called out to me from the podium. "Step forward please."

Keith busted out laughing as the room roared with applause and cheers. "So, you then?"

I just sweatdropped, realizing that my library and study geek stereotype actually did apply to me. "Wait...me? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Rena! You're the representative!" Rhythimi chuckled, then shoved me out of my chair and towards the stage. "Go ahead and go on up already!"

My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as everyone began chanting my name in order to encourage me to step up to the podium. I knew a certain red-haired idiot had more than just a little something to do with that. I hesitantly walked up the stairs in my shock-white stilettos and accepted the certificate from Ms. April, then awkwardly took my place at the podium.

The lights were all on me, and I must say, I was a little nervous. I hadn't prepared a speech or anything, so it looks like I'll just have to wing it.

"Umm..." I looked out into the crowd and spotted Keith's reassuring smile, and I suddenly began to swell with confidence. "I never thought I would be where I am today. And honestly, the only reason I accomplished what I did is because after coming here, I learned I had to stop being such a stick in the mud to actually achieve anything..." I sweatdropped as everyone laughed at my joke. "I also had to abandon the five rules I always lived my life by: never trust, never let your guard down, never love, never fail, and never depend on anyone." I stared out at the crowd through the tears that were starting to well up in my eyes. "I used to think that I had to do everything alone, and that I could never depend on anyone." I glanced over at Keith in particular in the crowd, who seemed to be listening avidly to what I was saying. I wiped at a stray tear from my eye before I continued. "...But coming to this school taught me one very important thing: you're never alone. The only way to really live in this world is to surround yourself with people you care about, and to never live your life thinking you're unloved and not worth it." I stared down at the podium and swallowed the long bottled up emotions that were threatening to come out. "I used to think love was weakness." I looked up into the crowd and spotted three people in particular, and I glared at them. Ice, a pink-haired woman named Lavana, and the third member of their trio: Heath. "But I was wrong. It's not weakness, it's strength." I smirked malevolently when Ice seemed to be pissed off at my subtle rebellion. "So I guess I just have one last thing to say to you all before we get ready to graduate and go out into the world to finally make a difference like we've always wanted to..." I completely recovered from my sadness and stared out at the Sinis Trio in the crowd with a determined glare. "Never stop fighting the evil that runs our corrupt world. Never stop fighting, never lose who you really are, never give up, never think you're too weak to make a difference, and never..." I glared at Ice in particular. "Never let anyone tell you who you really are. Because the truth is...you are who you aspire to be. Hero or not."

As the crowd stood up and applauded me joyously, Ice stood up from his seat and walked right out the front door, pissed off beyond words. Lavana and Heath remained though, glaring at me from their seats.

I smiled brightly to myself. I can't help but feel that I just won a minor battle.

But... It wasn't over yet.

I was about to step down from the podium when a sudden tremor erupted across the school's campus, and I quickly got down on my hands and knees to keep me from losing my balance. The whole school shook, and everyone started to scream as we all endured the short earthquake that made all of the lights flicker.

When the tremor stopped, I cautiously stood up, looking around the room with an expression of dire confusion. "What the..." I barely had time to utter my question before a slimy tentacle wrapped itself around my neck and cut off all my air, and I quickly tried to pry it off of me as I gasped desperately for oxygen.

Keith widened his eyes in horror as he ran towards me on the stage. "RENA!"

The tentacle lifted me up into the air and turned me around, and I was able to see that a large, enraged Tangrowth was what was strangling the life out of me. All I could do was dangle helplessly in the air while everyone screamed and ran around in a panic, and I just hung there and watched Keith try to capture the beast that was killing me.

When Keith completed the capture, the Tangrowth flung me into a nearby wall, causing me to slam into it back-first and slide all the way down it to the floor.

"RENA!"

My consciousness was wavering, but I was too stubborn to just faint. I've endured worse throughout the course of my life. I shook my head of the ringing noise and carefully stood up with the help of Keith, and I nearly collapsed into his arms.

"I'm alright..." I rubbed at my throat, taking in a deep breath.

"Thank god..." Keith hugged me tightly, forgetting that I had just been strangled not even five seconds ago.

"Keith...!" I squirmed in his grip, trying to get him to let me go. "Can't...breathe...AIR!"

"Oh, oops." Keith let me go, then sweatdropped when I desperately tried to catch my breath. "I was just so worried...RENA, WATCH OUT!"

I could barely register what was going on before Keith suddenly shoved me out of the way, and when I crashed to the ground, I could only watch in horror as a second Tangrowth emerged from the basement and ripped one of the posts off of its hinges and chucked it right at Keith.

"KEITH!" I shrieked in horror as the wooden support beam came into contact with his stomach and sent him flying into a wall, and I was nearly brought to tears when he collapsed to the floor and didn't move. I stood up from the ground shakily, and I turned to glare at the Tangrowth. "You..." I switched on my Styler, angrily stomping over to it in my six inch stilettos. "MONSTER!"

I captured that Tangrowth with such speed and skill that I didn't even think I had. I didn't take a single hit, and I whirled that capture line around the gargantuan beast so incredibly fast like my life depended on it. When I finished capturing it, I released both Pokemon, and I didn't waste any time in running over to Keith.

"Keith!" I crashed to the floor in front of him, and I turned him over to check the damage. He had a big bruise on his forehead, and he was completely unresponsive. "Keith, wake up! WAKE UP!"

"Oh my god, Keith!" Rhythimi ran over and knelt down on the stage next to me, trying to help me wake Keith up.

Isaac ran over too, and pretty soon, the three of us were trying to desperately wake up the red-head. Mightyena, Buizel, and Eevee were crowded around us as well.

I started to cry frustrated tears when Keith didn't wake up, and I shook him over and over again. "Keith, you need to wake up! Don't you die on me, you bastard! You promised me you'd never leave, and I expect you to keep your promise!"

Isaac reached out and pressed his fingers against Keith's neck, trying to check for a pulse. Isaac's eyes widened in terror. "His heartbeat is very slow, and he's not breathing..."

Rhythimi turned to me with tears pouring from her eyes, and she gripped my shoulders and shook me violently out of desperation. "Rena, do something!"

In a moment of panic, I stared down at Keith's pale face, and glanced at his closed eyes before taking in one deep breath for courage. I bent down, placed my lips on his, and quickly began CPR.

Having to ignore the intense emotion you experience during your first kiss and focus solely on saving someone's life is a lot harder than it looks. Especially when it's Keith.

I don't even remember what happened next. All I could think about was saving Keith, even though my face was redder than a fire truck. He still remained unresponsive, but after a solid three minutes of CPR and trying to get him to wake up, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and he shot straight up into a sitting position.

"GASP!" Keith gasped for air, then immediately regretted his sudden movements and clutched his stomach. "Yeesh... That hurt."

I stared at him in shock completely silent for a good minute before I snapped out of it, suddenly tackling him into a big hug. "You idiot! Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Buizel seemed to have the same idea, and he hugged Keith tightly too.

"OW!" Keith verbally expressed his pain with irritation, but his expression immediately softened when he registered that I was hugging him. "Er, sorry if I worried you..." He petted Buizel as he hugged me back.

I tearfully tore away from him and glared at his red eyes angrily. "What the hell were you thinking!? I was supposed to be the one to get hit, not you!"

Keith almost laughed at my weird reaction. "The way I see it, I can take a hit better than you can."

I just groaned and slumped my face into his shoulder. "Ugh... You really do have no idea what I'm capable of."

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

Rhythimi was tempted to smack Keith upside the head herself for worrying her so badly, but she just couldn't force herself to break up the cute hug between Keith and Rena.

She didn't tell them yet, but she already opened her assignment envelope. Rhythimi was stationed to be an Operator in Summerland, and she just knew this was the last time she'd get to see her friends for awhile.

...and it was also the last time she could witness in-person shippy moments between her favorite not-couple before she left.

After the chaos of the Tangrowth died down, all of the guests came back inside and took their seats again. Janice and Ms. April fluttered around Keith worriedly to make sure he was alright, which he was. Mr. Kincaid had a guilty look on his face for the remainder of the ceremony for reasons unknown. Ms. Claire followed Mr. Kaplan around and dragged him away by his ear every time he walked up to one of the parents and pretended to start recruiting their kids for a secret army of some sort. And lastly, every student was given their base assignments and graduation certificates.

Rena, Rhythimi, Isaac, and Keith were all standing at the front door to the school, getting ready to say good-bye. Their Pokemon were just as upset to see them go too.

Rhythimi looked back at her family waiting for her before turning to face Rena to say good-bye. "I guess this is it. I know you and Keith are going to Vientown, but you better call me every night, okay?" She smiled sadly at her best friend, trying to keep her attitude playful. "No excuses for not calling me at least once a week!"

Rena's eyes watered as she quickly embraced Rhythimi without a second thought, burying her face into her shoulder. "Rhythimi, you are my best friend, and I love you. Don't ever forget that no matter what happens, okay?"

Rhythimi just awkwardly laughed at Rena, kind of confused by what she meant. "What do you mean, silly! I'm still going to see you after today. Just because we got assigned to different regions doesn't mean we'll never see each other again."

Rena laughed through her tears and let go of Rhythimi, then looked over at Isaac to say her good-bye. "You." She pointed to mushroom boy, keeping a serious look on her face. "Don't blow shit up without me, okay?"

Isaac just chuckled to himself. "Alright, I promise." He shook his head at her. "Even though you'll be a Ranger now, I'm still going to invite you over to Altru to do some experiments with me from time to time."

Rena wiped a tear from her eye with a laugh. "Naturally." She rolled her eyes.

Keith fist-bumped Isaac one last time. "See yah later, man." He then gave Rhythimi a bored stare, pretending to be completely uninterested in her whatsoever. "Won't miss you, Blondie."

"YOU JERK!"

**WHACK!**

"OW! I WAS KIDDING!"

Mightyena whimpered depressingly as Rena jerked him away from Eevee, and Eevee was just as upset to see Mightyena go. Buizel was already going to miss Eevee, but at least he'd get to spend the summer with Mightyena.

Rena broke away from Rhythimi, gloomily watching as the two blondes turned to walk away. "Good-bye..."

"Come on." Keith placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to walk out the school with him. He was sad to see two of his friends go, but he tried not to show it on his face. After all, he had to be strong for Rena.

...okay, so he mostly just couldn't appear to be sad for the sake of his ego. Same thing, right?

Rena hung her head low and slumped against Keith's side, letting him guide her out the door. "Okay..."

As they left the building and approached the front gate, Rena spotted Keith's butler waiting for them outside the black limo. Keith went ahead and got right in with Mightyena and Buizel, but before Rena followed behind, she turned around to look at the school one last time. The place she lived in for the past year of her life. The place where she changed.

"And this is where it all comes to the end..."

* * *

**...I can practically ****feel**** the death stares I'm getting now for the long time without the update, AND the end of this chapter. **

**Sur-fricken-prise to those who have played Shadows of Almia: Blake Hall is the boss. Honestly, it shouldn't be that much of a shock XD I took the bad guy from the game and made him the bad guy in this book... It's kinda a no-brainer. I thought it was hilarious that some of you guys were legitimately conspiring that Keith or Isaac's dad was the boss. Not a bad idea, though. **

**I hate to say this, but this is the last chapter with Rhythimi and Isaac for awhile. The next time they appear is...**

**...okay, kind of awhile from now. Sorry! Don't hate meeee... I love you guys, I swear. **

**XD it's 2am and I have work later today... I've been working on this chapter for WEEKS whenever I have spare time, including when I'm at work sometimes and it's not busy. Phew... This was a long one. 6959 words. Damn. **

**Anyways... Read, review, and enjoy the story :)**


	30. Chapter 30: Summer Break

**(Third Person POV)**

Mightyena and Buizel took off running as soon as they arrived, wanting to chase each other around and play, leaving Keith and Rena alone to get settled in back home. As soon as they stepped in through the front door, it sunk in for Keith that this was time for him to get back to business. Which would be very boring for him, compared to school life.

Although... Rena's unwarranted reaction was very amusing to say in the least.

"GAH!..." Rena felt her voice choke up in her throat as she stared wide-eyed at the interior of Keith's estate. "You actually...live here...?"

Keith nonchalantly took a look around at all the gold walls covered by the endless priceless art and crystal light fixtures accompanied by red carpets that decorated the inside of his mansion. "Yeah. Is this not what a normal house looks like?"

Rena couldn't help but notice that the value of everything in just Keith's front room was worth more than everything she had ever stolen in her life combined.

"No, Keith..." She sweatdropped, running an anxious hand through her hair as she dragged her suitcase with her across the floor. "This is not normal..."

Keith grinned sheepishly at her as he motioned to grab his suitcase and follow her up the stairs too. "I thought you already knew that I was rich."

Rena felt her insides rotting from the level of her shock. "I did, but it just didn't occur to me that you were this rich..."

Keith didn't waste any time in laughing at her for her naivety. He simply passed her on the spiral staircase and stole her suitcase from her, insisting that he would carry it for her. Rena found it odd that several members of Keith's staff offered to carry the bags for him, but he politely refused every time, saying something about not wanting to overwork them.

Since when was Keith such a nice guy?

Keith was leading Rena through his mansion, trying to get to their rooms. But of course, on their way up, he gave her a quick tour of the place. The dining hall was the size of a ballroom, and the ballroom was four times the size of the dining room. The kitchen was glittering with all of the fancy equipment, but it was cute in a sense because of all the little vegetable plants that were scattered about. Rena was able to catch a glimpse of a luxurious garden just outside the kitchen, leading her to believe that they grew a majority of their fresh ingredients. There was just no end to the paintings, murals, and sculptures scattered throughout the mansion; there were even a few family portraits here and there too. Keith said something about the mansion having five hundred rooms, which nearly made Rena double over in shock again. Outside was a gargantuan labyrinth decorated with hedges and legendary Pokemon statues. Rena had been to Parfum Palace in Kalos before, but Keith's mansion put that one to shame...

And after an hour of wandering the gigantic place, they finally arrived at the west wing, where a majority of the bedrooms were located.

"Here we are." Keith set down Rena's suitcase in front of a large door before turning to look at her over his shoulder. "This is your room, Rena."

Rena hesitantly stepped forward and pushed the door open, and then immediately faceplanted right in front of Keith from the shock of seeing such a luxurious room.

Keith nearly fell over laughing as Rena struggled to regain her bearings, which didn't really help her at all.

"Well that was embarrassing..." Rena covered her reddened face with her hands, trying to tune out Keith's never ending laughter. "Shut up already!" She socked him in the shoulder, earning an "OW!" from the pompous red-head.

Keith began muttering curses to himself as Rena spun around in a circle, getting a full view of her room. It was the most beautiful sky blue color accented by whispy white curtains. Her bed was a canopy bed with an ocean blue comforter and black and white throw pillows. Every dresser, desk, and wardrobe in the room was pearly white, and the bedroom even had its own bathroom and balcony.

Rena immediately noticed that this room had already been prepared especially for her, because some of her stuff was already in here, as well as some new things. Her old school books that had been sent to Keith's house just before they graduated were stacked neatly on what was now her desk, as well as her graduation certificate and many other mementos from school.

But the one thing in particular that caught her attention was a framed photo propped up on her desk.

Rena left Keith standing in the doorway as she hurried over to the desk and picked up the frame, staring at the photo intensely.

It was a picture of Keith with his arm around Rena, and they were both smiling.

Rena remembered taking this photo. It was the day after Keith bought her that pricy camera as a peace offering, and Rena just couldn't stop using that thing for two whole weeks after getting it. She took pictures of everyone and anything, but she remembered this particular picture as her favorite. She had surprised Keith from behind and held the camera in a way to have them both in the shot, and she shouted _"smile, Keith!"_ and then took the picture.

Rena slowly turned around with the photo in her hand, tracing her eyes from the floor up to meet Keith's gaze. "You kept this picture all this time?" She motioned towards the framed photo.

Keith stuffed his hands into his pockets, kicking at the carpeted floor. "Yeah. I have a copy of it too. It's my favorite picture of us." It took everything in his power to avoid looking at her, and also to control the blush creeping up on his cheeks.

Rena's grim look slowly broke out into a delighted smile, and she set the picture back down on the desk.

"Come on, we better get going. I still haven't finished showing you around yet." Keith pushed himself off the door frame and regained his balance, leaving the room.

Rena followed close behind and shut her door behind her, then rose a quizzical eyebrow when she saw Keith leave his bag in the room right next to hers. "You gave me the room right next to yours...?"

"Naturally." Keith scoffed before leaning in a little too close to Rena. "You know, just in case you want to sneak out in the middle of the night and come over..."

**WHACK!**

"PERVERT!"

"OW OW OW! OKAY, OKAY! I GET IT! I'LL STOP!"

* * *

"And this is my dad's office." Keith stood in front of two twin doors, speaking in a thick tone of disinterest as he glared at the room. "He's almost always never home, but when he is, he's in here."

Rena bit her lower lip uncomfortably at the obvious hatred Keith had for his father. "So... I take it he's not home right now?"

"No." Keith spoke flatly before turning on his heel and promptly marching away. "Not like I'd care if he was, anyways."

Rena felt that stab of pain hit her stomach, and she was just so disgusted. Keith was so lucky to have a father... He just didn't even appreciate it. Not one bit.

The background noise of chatter caught Rena's attention, and she turned to see Keith discussing something with his butler and a few other staff members. He was calmly giving orders and signing whatever papers they handed to him, and there was just something about this picture that interested Rena...

She dove deep into her own thoughts, quietly muttering to herself what she was thinking. "Does that mean he runs the estate all by himself...?"

"He sure does."

Every hair on the back of Rena's neck stood up when someone spoke to her, and she cautiously turned around when she heard that same person begin to laugh at her. Right behind Rena was an older woman who looked to be one of the maids working here, and she had a gentle look on her face.

"He's all alone nowadays." She sighed contently, speaking to Rena so easily. "Poor kid. His father's never around much, ever since his wife passed away, leaving poor Keith to run the place by himself." The old maid peered over Rena's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Keith. "Sometimes I think that's why he wanted to grow up to be a Ranger so badly..." She smiled gently at Rena. "Because he couldn't save his father from his grief, he wanted to save other people instead."

It took all of Rena's remaining strength not to let a tear slip from her eye after hearing that. The old maid had a point... Was that really why Keith wanted to be a Ranger so badly...? He never told her...

"He's a good kid." The old maid smiled at Rena, gently patting her on the shoulder. "And although the prideful idiot will never admit it, he really does miss his father." She turned to leave, but she said one last thing to Rena first before she disappeared. "I'm just glad he's found someone like you who makes him so happy."

Rena was left standing there shocked and completely speechless, having no idea how to respond to something like that.

Did she...really make Keith happy?

That's not how she saw it. Rena just always felt like she was just hurting him the more she was near him. Slowly poisoning him and sending him off to his own painful death...

Rena blinked and the maid was suddenly gone, and she slowly turned to steal a peek at Keith. He was still discussing business with his staff, and Rena looked at the set of twin doors that she had been standing in front of this whole time.

"I know I can't stay here." She rested her palm on the door to Joseph Dazzle's office, the very same room that hid the desired blueprints. "I... I'll steal them tomorrow." She just had to find Mightyena later today, and then they could get out of here soon.

"Hey, Rena. Mind if I talk to you?" Keith's question suddenly snapped Rena out of her thoughts, and the brunette nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed he was standing right next to her.

"Uh..." She stared up into his red eyes timidly. "Sure...?"

Keith's serious face was immediately replaced by a boyish grin, and he excitedly took her hand in his. "Great! But there's somewhere I want to take you first..."

"Eh?" Rena quirked a quizzical eyebrow at Keith, but she hardly had any time to react before he immediately dragged her away from his father's office at top speed. "Keith, what're you...GAH!"

* * *

Rena humored Keith and watched the sun go down with him out on the rooftop, sitting on the edge right next to him. Although, it had been ten minutes now and he hadn't said a word. So...

"Umm, Keith?" Rena twiddled her thumbs, beating around the bush. "It's not like I'm not enjoying watching the sun set, but..."

"You want to know what I wanted to talk to you about." He looked over his shoulder to stare right at Rena with his bangs being gently blown past his face.

Rena stared at Keith a little longer than she should of, very aware of how red her cheeks were right now. "Uh... Yeah."

Keith turned his head back to the sunset, casually propping himself up with his arms resting behind his back. "Look, there's something I want to tell you, and I just want you to listen. Alright?"

Rena blinked owlishly at Keith for a moment before nodding her head. "Alright. I'm listening."

Keith stared off at the sunset, getting lost in his own thoughts. "When I first met you, I didn't know what to think. Besides Rhythimi, who I had known since I was a kid, you were the first girl to ever not fall for me instantly because of my money."

Rena just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that was probably because you were just so charming that I had to use all of my power to resist myself."

"GAH!" Keith flashed her a hot glare, trying to recover from that enormous stab to his ego. "Hey, I said no interrupting!"

Rena threw her hands up in defense with a sly smirk on her face. "Sorry, sorry!"

"Anyways..." Keith shot her one last sideways glance before refocusing again. "You always treated me like everyone else, and you'd even give me a hard time whenever I was being an ass."

"Which was all the time." Rena made her snarky comment, then quickly zipped her lips shut when Keith glared at her again. "...Sorry. I'll shut up now."

"I guess my point is..." Keith stared down at his lap, trying not to lose his nerve. "You were the first person to ever stand up to me, and I kinda admired you for that." He looked over at Rena with the most happy look on his face. "And it took me a long time to realize why you always drove me so crazy every single day, but I think the reason for that is..."

Rena widened her eyes in horror as she slapped her and over his mouth. "Don't say it."

Keith stared at her intensely as he pulled her hand off of his face. "I love you."

The silence that fell immediately after Keith said those three forbidden words was the most awkward and unnerving thing ever. Rena just looked completely heartbroken, and Keith had the same look on his face.

That... Wasn't quite the reaction he was hoping for.

"Look, Rena..." Keith took her hands in his, staring at her thoughtfully. "I love you, and I think you feel the same way about me. So..."

"No no no, this can't happen..." Rena jerked her hand from his grip, standing up sharply.

"Why not?" Keith stood up and almost glared at her through his despair, trying to understand her. "I think we could really make this work!"

"No, Keith, trust me." Rena shook her head, set against the idea completely. "I am wrong for you. So, so wrong for you..." She tried to keep herself from crying, but it wasn't really working.

Keith just scoffed and took a step closer to her. "But isn't that for me to decide?"

"No, you don't understand..." Rena sniffled, rubbing at her arm.

"Then help me understand." He placed his hands on her sides, staring into her eyes intently. "Why won't you even consider this?"

"Because, I..." Rena blinked at him, losing her nerve. "I can't give you what you want..."

"Yes you can." He smiled at her, grabbing her chin delicately and tilting it up to make her look into his eyes glowing with sincerity. "Because all I want is you."

Involuntary tears began pouring out of her eyes, and her lip quivered. She had wanted him to say something like this for so long, but now that she was really hearing it, all she could think about was that this would be her undoing.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." She broke away from him again, separating herself from his embrace one last time. "We can never be together, because I am wrong for you..."

Keith was getting frustrated and angry, but it was mostly the cold hard rejection that was making him feel this way. "Oh yeah? And why is that?" He walked right up to her again, ignoring her wish for personal space. "Tell me how you really feel about me."

She felt like she was staring at him through her watery eyes for a thousand years. He had the most hurt look on his face, and all that did was remind her that it was her causing.

How did she really feel about him?

She forced her lip to stop trembling as she glared at him. "You must be a real idiot to even have to ask that question."

Rena stood up on her tip-toes and grabbed Keith's tie, pulling him close and crashing her lips into his for the second time that day.

Now this is what you called a kiss. That stupid CPR earlier was nothing compared to this feeling.

Keith embraced Rena as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and even though he was shocked by her actions, he reacted instantly and kissed her back. He had been wanting to do this for a long time. It almost felt like a dream.

The weirdest combination of emotions were rushing through Rena's head: regret, sorrow, pain, envy, sadness, despair, and...bliss. She couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling.

But then it was all over in a second.

Rena pushed herself away from Keith and shook her head. "No... No, this is wrong..." She turned to run away from him, just leaving him standing there.

Keith just laughed to himself as he delicately placed his fingers over his lips. "You are so damn confusing..." He shook his head to himself. "Hey, Rena!" He called out to her, and he smirked when he saw her stop right in front of the door to the rooftop. "I'm still not going to give up on you! I will never, ever give up on you!"

Rena shamefully hung her head low and stared down at the floor as she walked away from him for possibly the last time. "Well maybe you should..."

* * *

**...I honestly have nothing to say, because I know that no matter what comes out of my mouth, you are all going to kill me.**

**PS: this is chapter 30/40, making this the official 3/4 (75%) complete mark! Yaaaay!**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	31. Chapter 31: It Must Be Done

**(Rena's POV)**

I couldn't sleep. All night, I couldn't sleep at all. It's tearing me apart inside, and I... I am ashamed of myself.

How could I be so stupid!? I'm the thief, and he's the mark. I CAN'T fall for him; it's impossible. It's forbidden. And now...

I have to break his heart.

Oh man... Why the hell did I kiss him!? I lost control for one damn second, and... BAM! I fucked up big time! That was the worst mistake I could have EVER made! I should've just cut my ties with him like I had planned to and leave it like that...

Staring up at the ceiling with an exhausted gaze, I tore the comforter off of me. I slipped out of bed and walked over to the dresser, and I began packing my bag. It helped that I only unpacked what was necessary last night. I put all of my clothes away with the exception of my jump suit and one civilian outfit. I didn't have much else, since I travel so lightly. I took both outfits into the bathroom and set them onto the counter. I took a twenty minute shower, and the reason it took so long was because I kept spacing out and wallowing in my despair.

I'm pathetic, aren't I?

I stepped out and dried off, then got dressed into my jump suit. I pulled my jeans and long sleeved shirt over it, making sure none of the black stretch material was visible.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

"Hey, Rena! You awake? Breakfast is ready."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, choking down a sob. "Y-Yes! I'm coming!" I tried to clear my throat so my voice wouldn't sound so shaky, and I pulled myself together. I stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to the door, peering out the peep-hole. Sure enough, Keith was there. He was waiting for me with a grin on his face.

_"I'm still not going_ _to give up on you! I will never, ever give up on you!"_

Why... Why won't he abandon me like everyone else in my life has already? It would be better if he just left me alone...

I've already made up my mind. I'm not going down to breakfast, because it's easier for me to just get this over and done with.

I know exactly who the boss is and what he's capable of, and I will not risk hurting Keith more than I already have to.

I swear to you, Keith, I will always protect you. Even if you hate me with every fiber of your being after this.

And I promise, no matter what happens, that you will forever and always be the only man I have ever loved.

But in order to keep you from missing me when I'm gone...

...

I have to make you hate me more than you hate your own father.

"I'll be right out in a few minutes, so don't bother waiting for me." I rested my forehead on the door, closing my eyes gently. "I'll meet you downstairs." I sighed breathlessly, lowering my heels to stand flat-footed on the floor now.

Keith shrugged his shoulders, turning on his heel. "Alright, seeya in a bit then."

Why... Why must this be so hard?

I grabbed my bag and made sure I didn't leave anything behind in the room, for it would be my last time in here.

And that's when I saw it.

I dropped my bag right on the floor and walked over to my desk mindlessly, and I scooped up the picture frame in my hands. My eyes watered as I stared at how happy we looked in this picture, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to feel like that again.

I split open the frame and stole the photo inside it, then folded it up and shoved it into my pocket. I will never, ever throw this away, and I won't ever stop cherishing it until the day I die. Not even then.

I immediately turned around and grabbed my bag, then ran over to the door. I cracked it open slightly, glancing right, and then left.

The coast was clear. Good...

I turned back around just to see him tugging at my pant leg. "Did you say bye to Buizel?"

Mightyena let his ears fall back as he looked somberly at the floor. "Arf..."

I just took in one long, deep breath. "Come on, boy. Let's go."

Mightyena sulked behind me as I crept down the hallway, and I stashed my bag in the linen closet just down the hall from Joseph Dazzle's office. I was just about to turn and make a break for the office when I saw the man in question leaving his office himself.

I began to tremble with anger when I looked at Joseph Dazzle, and before I even noticed what my feet were doing, I found myself stomping right over to him.

"HEY, YOU!" I shouted at Joseph, getting the man to stop right in his tracks.

Joseph Dazzle was dressed in a suit, and he looked like he was about to take off for a meeting. He was in a rush, so my guess was that he was running late.

"Excuse me?" He almost looked appalled when he saw me stand right up in front of him.

"You are the most inconsiderate, stuck-up bastard I've ever met, and honestly? Keith deserves better." I glared at Joseph as mean as I possibly could, shaking with anger.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to, you prideful child!?" Joseph furrowed his eyebrows at me, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I do." I shook my head at him, disappointed with what I saw in this man. "A prideful man so drowned in his grief that he can't think of any other way to cope other than ignoring his only son."

Joseph drew his head back in shock. "How dare...!"

"Just shut up already!" I lost it, screaming at him at the tip of my lungs. "Shut up! Do you have any idea what I would give to have my father still alive and well!? Do you!?" I shoved Joseph back a little with my hand, glaring a thousand daggers at him. It probably didn't help the guy that Mightyena was viciously barking at him, either.

"I..." Joseph was completely caught off guard by that, unsure of what to even say. "...what?"

"My parents didn't want me, and I wasn't adopted until I was nine." I crossed my arms, standing up straight. "And even then, my father only lived until I was fourteen, and I lost the only person who ever cared about me!" I shouted and leaned in closer, intimidating Joseph enough to take a hesitant step backwards. "I would give anything to see my father again. I miss him every single day..." I didn't even bother to hold back my tears, letting them pour down my face. "Keith has no idea how lucky he is that he still has one parent left, and all you've done is make your only son hate you." I shook my head at him in disappointment. "You may have lost your wife..." I looked down the hallway in the direction Keith went. "...but Keith lost his mother." I refocused my gaze on Joseph one last time, softening my glare. "So quit drowning yourself in your work. It's time to grow up." I turned on my heel and promptly stomped away, leaving him standing there.

As I walked away, I could see Joseph blink back his shock before pulling out his cell phone and hitting number one on his speed dial. "Um... Hey, Aileen? Go ahead and cancel my ten o'clock. I..."

...

"I'm going to spend the day with my son."

* * *

June 6th, 2012. 9:55AM. Dazzle Manor.

Safe model? Excalibur 2600. Combination? 04151973. Joseph Dazzle's wedding anniversary.

Security? All cameras have been disabled.

Exit strategy?

I stopped cracking the safe right in the middle of me punching in the combination, and I looked over to my left at the window that rested right behind Joseph's desk. Looks like I'll be going out that way...

**Click!**

I jerked my gaze back over to the safe, noticing I had opened it up already. I slumped my shoulders and opened the wall safe's door the rest of the way, looking inside.

There it was. The blueprint...

It was the only thing inside the safe oddly enough, and it was stuffed inside a cylinder.

I went ahead and snatched it out of the safe, and I slammed the door shut. Everything went according to plan.

**SMASH!**

...except for that.

I slowly turned around with the stolen blueprint in hand to face my greatest fear: Keith. Did he see me-? Yeah. He probably did.

Well... Maybe this was for the better.

Keith was standing in the doorway with Buizel on his shoulder right next to a shattered vase on the floor, staring at me in complete shock. "You never came

down to breakfast... What are you doing?" He stared hard at the safe I was standing next to, and then at the blueprint in my hand.

I had taken off my civilian clothes and was dressed solely in my black jumpsuit. My duffel bag was swung over my shoulder, and I was ready to go. I could leave any time I wanted to. Mightyena was right by my side as always, so there was nothing I had left here.

I took in one deep breath, preparing myself for the biggest lie I will probably ever tell in my entire life.

And then, I let a sinister, sadistic grin creep up on my face.

"Aw, darn. You caught me." I smirked devilishly as I held my hands up. "Too bad. I was almost done conning you, too. One more minute and I would've been out of your life forever."

Buizel and Mightyena exchanged strange looks, but that was quickly over when Buizel started to snarl at him. Poor Mightyena started to look ashamed and cowered behind my legs.

Keith took one step backwards as he shook his head. "Rena, what the hell are you talking about? You're seriously acting weird right now..."

"Acting weird? Hardly." I scoffed, sitting down on Joseph's desk, disrespecting the whole room. "This is just who I really am."

Keith glared at me in shock and anger. "What the hell is going on!? You're supposed to be my friend!"

"Your friend?" I scoffed, standing back up again. "What a load of crap. I was never your friend." I leaned over the desk to sneer at him from where I stood. "I was lying."

"No... No." Keith shook his head in disbelief, unable to comprehend this. "There's no way..."

I turned to face the window and opened it up, then sat on the ledge to look over at Keith again. "Aw, how cute! You really did think I was your friend... You're even more stupid than I made you out to be."

Keith stared at me in disbelief. "What about Rhythimi and Isaac...?"

I just scoffed again and rolled my eyes. "Them too. I lied to them too."

He just stumbled back and placed his hand on his forehead. "So you lied to us the whole time, pretended to be our trusted friend, and you..." He shakily tore his gaze from the floor and looked up at me. "...only pretended to love me?"

"Bingo." I crossed my arms with a cruel smirk on my face.

"Why..." Keith shook his head doubtfully. "...why did you do all of this?"

"Uh, hello?" I laughed at him, holding the blueprint up to my face. "I was hired to take this, and I needed to get close to you in order to do so. So I did." I swung the blueprint's strap over my back, looking at Keith incredulously. "And I must thank you. You let me right in! That was very convenient. I barely had to deal with any security at all!"

"Unbelievable..." Keith stressfully ran a hand through his spiky red hair. "And you never loved me?" He looked like he was on the edge of having an outburst and an emotional breakdown at the same time every time he looked at me.

I planted my palms on Joseph's desk and leaned forwards to sneer at Keith from where I stood. "How could I ever love someone as pompous and arrogant as you?"

Keith balled up his fists and gritted his teeth. That last comment of mine hit close to home and was the worst stab to the heart he had endured so far. "Who the hell are you!?"

I winked at him flirtatiously before standing up on the ledge of the third story window. "The name's Raux: contract theif-for-hire. And now that I've got this..." I waved the blueprint back and forth childishly. "...I'll be going now." I turned around and prepared myself to jump out the window, but I turned to look at Keith one last time over my shoulder. "Aren't you going to stop me?"

Keith looked absolutely dead inside as he shook his head. "No. I'm not."

I just laughed cynically. "Well, that sure makes this easy for me." I turned around completely and waved good-bye one last time. "Bye bye, loser."

And then, I jumped out the window.

And Keith didn't come after me.

* * *

I was a complete mess as I was navigating my way through the abandoned airstrip, trying to find the spot we decided to meet at. I'm about to trade the blueprints with the Sinis Trio for my money, but in order to do that...

...I have to get myself to stop crying.

I stopped for a moment to let out a loud, pained sob, letting the tears soak my face. I hated being so cruel to him, but I did what was best for him. I don't want his heart to be more broken than it already is. I can't risk having him come looking for me... He'd just get himself killed.

The Prince Charming I know would have tore apart the whole Earth looking for me if I hadn't lied about how I really felt about this.

And besides... I can't bring myself to tell him about the blackmail. That's a burden no one should have to live with.

Mightyena rubbed up against my leg and whimpered, looking up at me with the saddest eyes ever.

I crouched down and petted his head through my tears. "I miss Keith too, boy..."

"There you are."

I jolted with surprise when I heard that familiar, snide and nasally voice that could only belong to one woman.

Lavana.

"Oh, would you look at that, Mightyena?" I stood up slowly and turned to face the Sinis Trio approaching me. "Looks like the hag is here."

The pink-haired woman Lavana's whole face lit up red as she threw her fists down to her sides. "You little brat! I'm not a hag!"

Ice placed his hand on Lavana's shoulder in attempt to get her to calm down. "Now now, Lavana. This is not the time for that. Let's just do what we came here to do."

"Yeah, Ice be being right!" Heath chimed in, as stupid as ever. "You bring the package sound and safe right?"

I just quirked an eyebrow at the buffoon, but quickly shook it off and payed his lack of etiquette no mind. "Yeah. I got it alright." I pulled the cylinder that contained the blueprint off of my shoulder to show it to them. "You did hire the best, after all."

"That's debateable." Ice rose a suspicious eyebrow in my direction. "You had us worried there for awhile."

"Well don't worry." I snapped at him, furrowing my brow at the three of the oddly colored people before me. "I got it, didn't I?"

Mightyena shared a worried look between Ice and I, not too happy with the tension he was sensing.

Ice crossed his arms over his chest tightly. "I thought you were planning to run off with that Keith guy and quit."

"Not a chance." I scoffed, throwing my head back a little. "It was just a phase. That guy is a real ass, after all. I want nothing to do with him and his lousy friends."

"Good to hear." Ice took one step forwards and held out his outstretched palm. "Now, hand it over."

I was quick to jerk the blueprint from him, keeping it out of his reach. Mightyena growled and stood in front of me to act as my guard dog. "No. First, do you have my money?"

"You mean this heavy thing?" Lavana hefted a black duffel bag up and just checked it over in my direction, and it looked like it was too heavy for her to handle. "It's yours. The blueprint?"

"Fine." I simultaneously grabbed the bag of cash and handed off the blueprint to Ice. I crouched down to unzip the bag, and I began examining the stacks of bills crammed inside. "You made sure these were untraceable, right?"

"'Course we did, you silly stupid girl." Heath chuckled heartily to himself. "We be not buffoons."

I just rolled my eyes at that. "Yeah. Whatever you say."

The sounds of an approaching helicopter reached my ears, and I held my hand up over my eyes as I looked up into the sunny sky. I watched as a black and purple helicopter touched down just twenty feet behind the Sinis Trio, and Lavana did one last hair flip.

"Well, there's our ride." The fiery-tempered girl sighed in relief.

"Then let's go already..." Ice motioned to turn and head towards the chopper, but Lavana's outstretched arm stopped him.

"Not so fast." Her evil and sly smirk even had me worried as she took a step in front of Ice, blocking him off. "You see, Ice, the boss isn't happy with your performance lately. He and his special friend both agree it's time to...reprogram you."

Heath bumped his fists and tensed his muscles, helping Lavana box Ice in with an eager grin stretched across his face. "Time to go bye bye."

"Whoa whoa whoa, guys. Chill." Ice took a hesitant step backwards, holding his hands up in order to protect himself. "What's going on!? You don't mean..." His eyes widened in horror, and he quickly lunged to try and escape. "No...!"

Heath grabbed ahold of Ice and started to drag him towards the helicopter in a tight headlock, chuckling the whole way there. "No point in thrashing, friend! You not remember this at all tomorrow!"

Ice didn't stop kicking and punching, despite Heath's warning. "NO! LET ME GO, HEATH! LAVANA!" He just got angrier when he saw both his subordinates start to laugh at him. "I AM YOUR SUPERIOR!"

"Not anymore." Lavana chuckled to herself, dusting off her hands.

I just stood there shell-shocked and unmoving, unsure of what to even make of this. What were they going to do to him!?

"Hey!" I took a step forwards, getting a little angry. "What the hell are you guys going to do to him!?"

Lavana turned back around slowly to meet my gaze, and she smirked in a way that suggested she forgot I was even here. "Oh, one last thing..."

Ice looked completely horrified as he saw what was about to happen. "LAVANA, DON'T..."

I held out my hands to stop her, but I couldn't react quick enough. "Wait, NO..."

**BLAM!**

Lavana stood in front of me chuckling like and evil maniac with her smoking pistol pointed right at my stomach. "Well, I'm glad that all our loose ends are finally tied up..." She reached down and grabbed the bag of my money before she turned on her heel and began marching towards the helicopter to join her colleagues.

...a double cross. Did not see that coming.

All of the sound I was picking up on was starting to blur together. I could faintly hear Mightyena barking up a fit, Ice screaming, Lavana laughing...

Still standing up somehow, I carefully tore my gaze away to look down at my torso, which I immediately regretted when I saw the huge, bloody gaping hole that went through my right side. The bullet went through the front and out the back, and I definitely felt it, because I'm pretty sure she shot me with a .50 caliber...

...

You know, people say that when you get shot, it's just the shock of it all that's the worst part.

WELL FUCK NO. I DEFINITELY disagree. This is easily the worst pain I've ever endured in my entire life.

After the shock of getting shot began to subside, I was starting to feel the intense pain of a large hole being ripped through my flesh, and I stumbled backwards and fell straight onto my back. My vision was blurring thanks to my head smacking the concrete, but I could make out the silhouette of a helicopter taking off high above me. Mightyena was barking even more hysterically now as he refused to leave my side, worriedly pacing around me in circles.

I could feel the blood pooling all around me, and my heart sank when I felt it reach the photo of Keith and I that I had so carefully tucked away in my pocket.

I shakily began moving my hand towards my pocket, pulling out my cell phone. I was losing a lot of blood, so if I didn't get help fast enough, I...

"Hey, it's me..." I groggily held the phone up to my ear and switched on the tracker, trembling from the pain it caused me to use my right arm. "I need...help..."

And then I dropped my phone on the concrete of the abandoned air strip as my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and that was the last conscious thought I had as they left me there to die.

No, I lied. That's not entirely true.

The last thing I thought of as I blacked out was the look on Keith's face as I broke his heart into a million tiny pieces.

* * *

***sweatdrop* erm... This is easily the worst cliffhanger I've left you guys with XD... I'm sorry... and what's even worse is I don't know when I'll update next because of school keeping me busy. **

**...sorry?**

***ducks out of the way of the inevitable flying chairs coming my way* **

**I'M SORRY OKAY! I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN SINCE CHAPTER ONE!**

**Read, review, and seriously don't kill me. Please.**


	32. Chapter 32: As Time Went On

**So, hey guys! Welcome back to TSTHOAT for the new update! Before we get started, I got a review on the last chapter from a guest asking me a bunch of questions, so I'm going to answer them here in this beginning author's note XD please just bear with me. **

**What happened to Ice?**

• He was basically called a traitor and was dragged away, being told he was going to be "reprogrammed" so to speak.

**Why hasn't Rena quit her job?**

• As revealed in chapter 28, the boss threatened to reveal her identity and current location to the police, inevitably leading to her being locked away in prison for several years, if not forever.

**Why did Rena reject Keith?**

• Because she is afraid of committing to relationships, Keith wants to get married someday and have children but she doesn't want either of those things, she feels she is wrong for him, and she was about to leave him behind forever the next day and break his heart.

**Why didn't Keith try to stop Rena?**

• His whole life, Keith had been surrounded by people who only befriended or loved him for their own personal gain; they didn't care about him at all. Keith fell in love with Rena because she was different than that, and when he found out she had just been lying to him the whole time and used him just like everyone else, he was just completely crushed, and he didn't bother to chase after her. She was dead to him from that moment on.

**Didn't you enter this in a contest, and is it still going?**

• Yes I did, and yes it's still going, but it's a contest on wattpad. The deadline is Halloween, so I better hurry in finishing this ^-^"... At least I only have 8 chapters left to write now.

**That's all :) happy reading!**

* * *

**(Rena's POV)**

"Rena? Rena, are you home?"

"Yeah." I rose my voice loud enough so he could hear me, not tearing my eyes away from what I was doing at my desk. "I'm in my room."

He immediately walked down the hallway that led from the front door to my bedroom, and Kaplan instantly sighed when he saw what I was doing. "You're still working on this...?"

"I can't stop." I finished cutting out the latest newspaper article I was adding to my timeline, and I taped it to my wall among the other hundreds of photographs and newspaper articles. "Not until I find out who exactly did this to me." I stared down at my desk and paused for a moment. "Well, I know who, I just don't know...why. Why me?"

Kaplan sighed, then stepped into my room. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he stared at all of the clippings taped to the walls. Post-it notes with scribbled algorithms on them were everywhere, lines were drawn from one picture to another, several newspaper articles regarding Team Dim Sun were placed on the timeline in chronological order, but most importantly... Every single newspaper article that was reporting Keith's heroics was up there too.

"Rena, are you sure all of this is necessary?" Kaplan sighed again. "It has been a year, after all... I'm sure the Rangers will take care of things just fine."

"Kaplan." I stifly spoke his name, staring directly at my wall in front of me. "I have to do this. I have to solve the mystery of what Blake Hall's really up to, what was on that blueprint, and why he tried to have me killed." My eyes dropped down to my desk, and I began cutting out another newspaper article. "I have a really bad feeling about this." I turned to look at him with a determined stare. "The Rangers are fools, and they know nothing of what's really going on. I'm the only one who knows enough about Team Dim Sun to stop them."

"Alright..." Kaplan began to trudge out of my room. "I trust your judgement."

All I gave him was a head nod before getting straight back to work.

I felt a heavy weight placed on my shoulders, and I couldn't help but slump them. I stared down at the dog bed at my feet which had a depressed Mightyena laying in it. He lazily look up at me, then drooped his gaze back down to the floor.

After I was shot, I called him. Kaplan, I mean. He was the only friend that I had left. He drove over to that abandoned air strip immediately thanks to my location services on my phone allowing him to track me, and completely freaked out when he found me unconscious and bleeding out on the floor. With the help of Mightyena, he managed to get me into his car and take me back to his house off the coast of the Ranger School. When I regained consciousness, I found myself looking up at Ms. Claire trying to patch up my injury, which hurt like hell to patch up without anesthetics, but we managed to pull it off. I was lucky that my savior was a gym teacher with a big heart, because not only did he let me, the fugitive, stay with him after I explained who I really was and why I got shot, but he also took care of putting me through physical therapy. We worked hard every day to get me up and walking again, and it took two months just to accomplish that. Just imagine how much longer it took me to re-train myself to fight. I'm still a little rusty, actually...

Ms. Claire moved in shortly after I was shot to help take care of the both of us, and it didn't take long for those two to start dating. They kind of act as a foster family for me in a way. She knew the truth about me too, and yet both her and Kaplan went to such extreme measures to keep me safe and away from the police... I don't deserve their kindness, so I don't understand why they helped me so much. I really don't.

It's been a year. One year ago, I was shot and disappeared off the grid, and I've been in hiding with Kaplan and Claire ever since. It's been a year since I've spoken to Keith. It's been a year since I have hugged Rhythimi, or had an intellectual conversation with Isaac.

And it's been a year since my desire for revenge on Team Dim Sun has consumed my soul.

It's the only thing that makes sense... Blake Hall may be the president of Altru Inc, but I suspect that's nothing but a front for Team Dim Sun these days. You know, the weirdos I met in the Marine Cave who almost killed me because I caught them practicing Pokemon mind control and hypnotism? Yeah, same guys. There's no way that Almia has two corrupted underground forces causing mayhem. There are no coincidences. It has to all be connected somehow...

I stared up at my timeline, tracing the events with my eyes. I had been following this whole thing for this past year, trying to solve the case. My case.

First on my wall's timeline was our one-day internship: the first time Dim Sun made their appearance. The Rangers investigated that weird, mind-controlling red machine, but they didn't figure out what it was until much later. The Vientown Rangers's official report states that they saved a girl from drowning (erm...wonder who that was). When they went to investigate the Marine Cave on Nabiki beach, not only did they save the girl, but they found a strange machine later known as a Gigaremo hypnotizing the minds of the wild Pokemon inside by emitting strange pulsing noises. Three men dressed in all black and purple were seen fleeing the scene. It still remains unknown who they were and why they were there.

Next was graduation. I... I think I'll skip that one. I don't want to think about that day.

After that, I had a picture of the Dazzle mansion circled with a big question mark next to it. I still never did figure out what that blueprint was for, or why they needed me to get it... I wish I knew. That's one big piece to the puzzle I have yet to fill.

Next was the Vien Tribune's article welcoming Keith to the Ranger Base. He looked happy in the picture, but his eyes were dead inside. Somehow I feel responsible for that...

The next picture was a picture of the Vien Forest on fire. The whole forest outside of Vientown that led to Pueltown was up in flames in the pictures, and some of them had pictures of the Vientown Rangers fighting to put out the fire. One picture was of Keith commanding a befriended Blastoise to use his Field Move 'Rain Dance' in order to extinguish the fire. The pictures of the fire now put out revealed several of the Pokemon mind controlling machines, the Gigaremos, all red in color, broken and scattered throughout the forest floor. A strange man later nicknamed 'Ollie' by the Vientown Rangers was caught fleeing the scene, and after interrogating him, it was discovered that strange men in black suits had hired him to place the Gigaremos throughout the forest. The poor guy had no idea what he was doing, and when some of the oil spilled, one of the Gigaremos sparked and made the forest go up in flames. Ollie was released soon afterwards, since he wasn't directly involved with the criminal activity.

The next was a released diagram of the Gigaremo, which showed a small diamond-shaped black stone placed in the center of the machine. According to the Ranger Union's studies of the black stone conducted by Professor Hastings, which I may have illegally hacked into, the black stone is the source of the Gigaremo's power.

Pictures of Pueltown undergoing Pokemon hypnotic chaos was next on my timeline. Not only were several red Gigaremos placed throughout the port city, but so were green and blue ones. The Vientown Rangers Keith and Luana, who were first on the scene, discovered that each Gigaremo could be destroyed by a specific target clear. Red was destroyed by water, blue by electric, and green by fire. Pokemon Ranger Keith stumbled upon a group of shady men with a yellow Gigaremo talking about some sort of experiment down at the harbor, and they readdressed themselves as a criminal syndicate by the name of Team Dim Sun. Their motto was "a brighter future for Almia!" Kinda ironic, considering their name and all. Before they escaped by a boat to sea, Keith overheard them discussing the whole fiasco as some sort of Pokemon mind control experiment, and unfortunately, Team Dim Sun got away with the final remaining Gigaremo type.

Next: the Ranger Union conference. In order to get to the Ranger Union by foot, Keith had to dive into the ocean to retrieve a bridge key that the bridge operator, Brook, had accidentally dropped in the ocean when he jumped into the water to swim after Team Dim Sun. Brook had left the Norward Bridge stuck open in attempt to keep the criminals stuck in Pueltown during the Pueltown Mission, but his heroic attempts proved to be futile, since they escaped by sea and it ended up being a huge waste of time. The Vientown Base Leader, Barlow, was escorting Professor Hastings back to the Ranger Union after he came to the Vientown Base to inspect a recovered Gigaremo specimen, when the two men soon discovered the Norward Bridge stuck open. Because the Professor hates flying and refuses to fly by Staraptor transportation back to the Ranger Union, they had no choice but to call in Pokemon Ranger Keith to retrieve the lost Bridge Key. After diving into the Puel Sea and retrieving it from a sickly Sharpedo who had swallowed it, Keith delivered the bridge key back to Brook and the bridge was then put back down. Now being able to make their way back to the Ranger Union, Keith, Barlow, and Professor Hastings hurriedly rushed to HQ for the conference concerning Dim Sun.

...I may have hacked into the Ranger Union's database with my laptop during the presentation and downloaded all of their files that they had on Dim Sun. Although, you can't prove I actually did that...

Erm... My next newspaper article discussed the strange earthquakes coming from Peril Cliffs, one of Almia's most popular tourist attractions for hikers that was just east of the Ranger Union. When Pokemon Ranger Keith and Barlow were heading back to their base after spending the night at the Union after the conference, horrific tremors erupted through the air, causing the two Rangers to investigate. There they found two of the yellow Gigaremos controlling the minds of the Pokemon at the cliffs. Below them was a Dim Sun minion claiming to be a geologist inspecting the soil by having his two Rampardos ram their heads into the side of the cliff repeatedly, which the Rangers quickly deduced as the cause of the tremors. Strangely enough, there were no Gigaremos in sight to control the minds of the Rampardos, yet they were hypnotically ramming the side of the cliff when the Dim Sun minion only had a strange looking laptop in his possession. Unfortunately, the Dim Sun minion took off running while the two Rangers were busy capturing the two Rampardos, taking the strange laptop with him.

This past year's Outdoor Class. That brings back memories... This past year, Pokemon Ranger Leader Barlow had originally been scheduled to teach at the Outdoor Class, but due to being called away to a volcanic island called Boyleland because all of the Pokemon went mysteriously missing, he asked Keith to do the job instead. So, Pokemon Ranger Keith obliged and taught at the Outdoor Class. On his way there, he ran into two Dim Sun Minions tormenting a Croagunk with that same strange looking laptop that the guy from the Peril Cliffs had. Keith discovered it was their new and improved Gigaremo, which works better and is easier to transport. However, after Keith captured the Croagunk, the "Miniremo" as they called it just exploded. No target clear was necessary. The two minions were left with no other choice but to jump off the bridge and into the water to escape. Although, later on during the Outdoor Class, the drenched minions came back for revenge with a new Miniremo, and they successfully scared the kids by sending two Carnivines to attack Keith. Although, Keith saved the day and sent the two idiots running, successfully creating the coolest Outdoor Class in the school's history.

I hesitated when moving over to the next event on my timeline, and instead of reading it, I went back to the Outdoor Class one and grabbed the DVD I had hanging up next to it and popped it into my laptop, getting ready to watch it again for what must be the five hundredth time.

One of the teachers recorded the Outdoor Class, and Kaplan and Claire surprised me with a copy...

I burst into tears the first ten times I watched it, seeing Keith again. Not only because my heart is ripped to shreds by my own doing, but because Keith, he...

He didn't look so well.

I watched my laptop screen turn from black to the bright colors of Ascension Square, and the video began again. I never realized how much I took school for granted until it was taken from me...

I saw Ms. April, Kaplan and Claire, Principal Lamont, and all of the new students at the school this year... But no Mr. Kincaid. I remember that he mysteriously quit around the time I was shot and disappeared shortly after that. They replaced him with a new male teacher of some sort.

_"Hey, guys! I'm Ranger Keith, a rank four Area Ranger here in Vientown!" _Keith boasted about his rank as he did his signature backflip and pose with Buizel, making all of the kids bust out laughing.

_"Alright, settle down, class!" _Ms. April quieted their laughter with a quick interruption_. "Does anyone have any questions for Keith?"_

_"Oh! I've got one!" _One student's hand flew up so quickly it startled those around him.

_"Yeah, what is it?"_ Keith chuckled at his enthusiasm.

_"Did you ever pull any pranks in school?"_

All Keith could do was laugh when Ms. April shot him a death glare.

_"Don't be giving my students ideas..."_ She tugged on Keith's ear, making the red-head wince and cry out in pain.

_"OW OW OW! I WASN'T GONNA!"_

I fast-forwarded past your basic "what's it like to be a Ranger?" and "what is a really hard Pokemon to catch?" questions, and I pressed play again at the very end where this one girl asked the last question of the day.

_"Umm...hehe. I have a question!"_ An adorable red-haired girl waved her hand ecstatically back and forth.

_"Sure. What's up?"_ Keith pointed to her, allowing her question.

_"Have you ever been in love before?"_

The hollow look in his eyes that followed immediately stabbed my heart, and I had to try and not let it get to me.

But it was his answer that broke my heart every time that I watched this.

Keith cleared his throat and jammed his fists into his pockets in the way he always does when he's upset, staring down at the floor. _"I thought I was."_

I shut my laptop and sniffled a little as I wiped at my eyes, and I got up from my bed and walked over to the wall. Back to the timeline again. I have to stop Blake Hall, and in order to do that, I need to figure out what he's up to. So, I must continue reviewing my notes.

...

Keith...

"Ugh, stop that." I abruptly slapped my forehead, startling Mightyena as I scolded myself. "Pull yourself together and focus!" I tore my eyes from the floor and forced myself to look at my timeline again, and I began reviewing my notes once more.

After the Outdoor Class was over, the Ranger Union delivered alarming news to Keith's Ranger Base: Barlow's Styler signal disappeared off the map. So, Keith was sent to Boyleland to go and find him. They all were hoping it was just a big joke, thinking Barlow dropped his Styler in lava or something, but it all took a turn for the worse when Keith discovered Team Dim Sun had been harboring a gigantic Cargo Ship in a hidden harbor inside the volcano cave, transporting not just the island's missing Pokemon onto the ship, but also a tied up Barlow. Keith had to infiltrate the Cargo Ship without being spotted, rescue the Pokemon and Barlow, and then face off with the ship's captain. Who just happened to be Mr. Kincaid himself. Or as he liked to call himself, "Captain Kincaid of Team Dim Sun."

I already knew Kincaid was one of the bad guys, but Keith and the other Rangers didn't.

The whole mission took a turn for the worse when Keith defeated Kincaid's hypnotized Drapion, because the captain fled the ship and ordered his subordinates to pull out the large Kingston Valve at the bottom of the ship, inevitably sinking the ship with all the Pokemon and people on board. While Barlow tried to steer the ship near shallow water as best as he could while sinking, Keith ran to the bottom deck to have Pokemon help him push the valve back into place. Every Dim Sun Minion left on board jumped overboard and swam for their life.

They nearly didn't make it, but thanks to Keith getting the ship to stop taking on water, Barlow had enough time to crash the gargantuan Cargo Ship into a tiny pier off the coast of a small island.

...and that tiny island just happened to be the Ranger School.

Kaplan thought it was the coolest thing ever, and Claire smacked him for it because she was standing right there when it happened and was still traumatized. I had a few laughs when they came home that day and told me about it.

As disastrous and destructive as the mission turned out to be, Keith's performance was enough to impress Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings: the two people who run the Ranger Union and the Top Rangers. Keith's heroics got him promoted to Top Ranger at age nineteen, and he became the eleventh Top Ranger in the whole world.

I was thrilled to hear that he achieved his dream, but I couldn't help but envy him a little...

Still, I was happy for him.

I can't help but notice a majority of my timeline had something to do with Keith in every article, but to be fair, the boy just seemed to follow trouble and Team Dim Sun wherever they went.

So Keith pretty much was still just being Keith.

Hah... That's good.

On his first mission as a Top Ranger, Keith was ordered to travel east of the Ranger Union to the Chroma Highlands, a foggy mountain valley area just past Altru Park and Pueltown. Somewhere inside the ruins waiting for backup was Top Ranger nine: Sven. Keith, the solo Top Ranger, arrived on the scene to find a mysteriously thick, black fog covering the entirety of the Chroma Highlands, which also made the Styler's voicemail feature malfunction. Keith found Team Dim Sun forcing a flock of Murkrow to spread the fog to cover their tracks, and he was quick to capture the hypnotized Pokemon and bust their Miniremos. He discovered Team Dim Sun had trapped all nearby Skarmory, a Pokemon capable of clearing the fog, in a nearby cave and boarded it up. Keith used these steel birds to clear the fog and restore the Chroma Highlands to its original state.

After he found the entrance to the ruins and pursued onwards, Keith ran into Sven eavesdropping on several Dim Sun minions mining dark shards, the power source for Gigaremo and Miniremo, in the next cave room over. The two idiot boys conspired to release a Skuntank into the room and scare off the poor idiots with its atrocious stench, which they thought was hilarious according to the Ranger Union's report. Pursuing onwards, the two boys discovered a large room guarded by a ticked off Spiritomb that had a huge gaping hole carved out of the back wall. Sven was annoyed that Dim Sun got away with what he assumed to be the legendary "Shadow Crystal," which would be equivalent to the power of one million dark shards. He was confused that the crystal's guardian, who was most likely a Darkrai, allowed it to be stolen.

While they began to retreat, Sven and Keith stumbled upon an old charred shack which was later discovered to be the original Altru Oil building before the industry caught fire some years back and they had to relocate. Upon entering, not only did they discover an old classmate of mine called Ponte living there, but they also found a charred diary that mentioned words like "darkness" and "shadow crystal." The two Rangers concluded it would be best to take the diary back to the Union for further analysis. Ponte had talked with the two boys and discussed how he had joined Dim Sun and quit the same day, indecisive as ever, and he had been hiding out in the shack ever since. They were mining something big down in the ruins, and they kidnapped a dark Pokemon that was guarding whatever they were mining and flew it off in a crate by helicopter somewhere towards the ocean. He remembered hearing the Pokemon's cries the most...

I stopped at the next event and tore the transcript off the wall, skimming its contents. I remember reading this the first time I got my hands on it.

It was a copy of everything said during the meeting held about the diary upon Keith and Sven's return. The diary was nearly burned beyond recognition, but the Ranger Union Scientists began deciphering it. They discovered the diary had belonged to Brighton Hall, Blake Hall's father, who mysteriously disappeared some years back. The diary talks about Brighton desperately searching for a new power source to save his company, and according to the diary, he found one: the dark shards. After that page, bits and pieces of Brighton Hall's panic concerning the side effect of dark shards was readable, but the rest was too burned to analyze. All I could derive from the burned diary myself was that dark shards held an insane amount of dark power that no human should behold, but there was a way to reverse the power. But that was all I could discover...

After the meeting, strange things started happening. Keith took on a peculiar mission to Shiver Camp and Almia Castle up in the coldest regions of Almia that lied north of the Ranger Union, but I have no idea what he was doing there.

I hacked Professor Hasting's computer and downloaded all of his notes to my laptop after that mission, highly suspicious that someone may have been on to me and my hacking. My suspicions were confirmed when I found minimal data to be digital, so I figured the Professor started writing things down rather than typing them.

All I could figure out was that they were beginning to figure out how to reverse the effect of the dark shard's hypnotic power, but whatever they did to reverse the effect only worked 33%. After that, I was in the dark, and I had to rely on newspaper articles to gain the rest of my information. The Ranger Union upped their security, pushing me out with their various firewalls.

The remainder of my timeline was a series of newspaper articles I had clipped and saved. Keith visited Boyeland once again for reasons unknown. Ranger Wendy, Sven's partner, flew off on her partner Staraptor to the Haruba Desert for some top secret mission and did not return. Keith was sent to look for her, but on his way there, his boat was being tipped by large pillars of water being shot up from the ocean floor below him. Keith jumped into the water with his Micro Aqualung, allowing him to breathe underwater. He discovered Team Dim Sun trying to capture a Wailord with large capture machines that shot out an electric beam, pinning the whale Pokemon to the ocean floor. After releasing the Wailord, Team Dim Sun panicked and revealed they intended to use it as a replacement for their Cargo Ship, and they took off with the momma Wailord's baby Wailmer instead. Keith gave chase on the Wailord's back, up until they arrived at Altru Oil's ocean oil rig.

The Oil Rig had been thought to be abandoned years ago, but it was apparently not. Keith was surprised to see Sven there as well, about to break in and investigate. The two teamed up and raided the rig, discovering that Team Dim Sun had been using it as a secret base. They overheard talk of Dim Sun building something called "the Incredible Machine," and that was all the Ranger Union released to the press. After the mission, however, Kincaid dropped off the grid, the Wailmer was returned to its mom, and Sven returned with a very confused Isaac who had been found in the base with Team Dim Sun.

Keith went on to the Haruba Desert to find Wendy. All I know is that something went horribly wrong, and Wendy had been kidnapped and held hostage by Heath. I have no idea what for or what happened, but Keith had to trade something of great importance for her life.

And now, we've reached present day. It's been four days since Wendy returned very banged up and bruised, and it's been too...quiet.

I've been studying Dim Sun's every move, and I know they're going to strike soon somewhere. I just know...

"Rena! Rena!" Ms. Claire came barging into my room, looking completely distraught and panicked.

"Claire, what is it?" I almost fell over from the shock of her barging into my room, and I watched as Kaplan ran in to catch up with Claire. Mightyena leapt up from his bed, completely startled and alert.

"It's the Ranger Union, something has happened!" She panted to catch her breath, and Kaplan began rubbing her back to calm her down.

"Claire, what did you hear?" He tried to get her to stand up straight again, keeping her calm.

"While I was in Pueltown shopping, there was an explosion at the Ranger Union." She looked at me with panicked and confused eyes. "The whole town is in panic because the Ranger Union is in lockdown and they called the police to tell them to stay away for their own safety! Something is going on!"

I knew it...

I stared at the two of them with a fierce look of determination before enveloping them in a tight hug. "I thank you both for taking care of me this past year and hiding me from the police, but this is where it must end." Kaplan and Claire were too shocked to say anything as I let go of them and turned to my closet.

"Rena, where are you going?" Claire blinked at me in confusion.

I shared a look with Mightyena before ripping open my closet doors, staring at the only thing inside it:

My jumpsuit.

I turned to look at my astonished friends over my shoulder with a wry smirk on my face. "I'm going to get my revenge."

* * *

**See, I told you guys that last chapter wasn't the end! There's no way I was going to kill Rena with nine chapters still left of the book XD **

**Okay, to sum up some FAQs before they're even asked XD:**

**• One year has passed now since Rena was shot, so she's mostly healed, but she's still recovering a little and is pretty rusty in hand to hand combat. **

**• She hid from the cops with Kaplan and Claire, which was the push they needed to get together, so they're a cute couple now :3**

**• The whole purpose of the timeline was to show the game's middle events, and now we're going to skip all the way to the end of the game and hope it makes sense! **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	33. Chapter 33: Confrontation

**(Third Person POV)**

It was a dark and cloudy day in Almia, one of those days where it felt like it could start raining any moment. It was depressing, and the atmosphere was thick. Several people had a bad feeling about today, and they weren't sure why. Although... They were right to be suspicious.

**BOOM!**

The second explosion went off at the Ranger Union, sending everyone into yet another uproar. This time, the explosion came from the second floor.

"Hah!" The burly man with yellow hair chuckled evilly, staring over at Keith with a taunting glare. "Gahaha! It's going like we plan, our plan! Fool you good did I do, hey?" The thick-skinned idiot laughed right at Keith's face. "I was playing at decoying! For you, to upstairs going is too late!"

Keith narrowed his eyes at the buffoon; he had had enough of this creep. First, he kidnapped Wendy and forced Keith to trade him the Yellow Gem for her, their last chance at counteracting the Shadow Crystal, and now he's invading the Ranger Union?

That. That was the last straw.

As much as Keith wanted to slug Heath across the face for hurting his friend, he had to go upstairs to investigate that second explosion. Plus, he was just slightly out-matched.

Slightly.

Hey, being a Top Ranger for eight months really paid off; Keith had grown some muscle. And he had gotten a little taller with age.

The red-head in question readied his Styler and dashed up the escalator to the second floor, listening to the sound of Heath's evil cackle coming from downstairs.

When he arrived at the top, he saw that he had just walked into the wrong place at the wrong time.

Up against the wall were Isaac, Rhythimi, Professor Hastings, Chairperson Erma, Murph, Sven, and Wendy. On the right side of the room was a huge gaping hole in the wall, and both Ice and Lavana were standing in front of it. They were both packing heat with their pistols obviously showing on their belts. Standing behind them were at least ten Dim Sun Minions, also armed and VERY dangerous looking, unlike the average Dim Sun Goon Keith had dealt with previously.

Lavana drew a gun from her pink belt and pointed it right at Keith's head, growling a little under her breath. "You again... Get over to that side of the room with your friends, and don't you dare try anything!" Lavana hissed with her anger seething through her teeth.

Keith hesitated before complying, knowing fully well that they were outnumbered. He put his hands up into the air and cautiously approached the group of hostages, joining his coworkers in being sitting ducks. Rangers weren't permitted to use violence and weapons, so Team Dim Sun had the upper hand here.

"I'm not letting you take Isaac!" Wendy stood protectively in front of Isaac, even with her right arm broken and in a sling. "He's staying right here where he belongs!"

Isaac flashed Wendy a sad smile, then looked over at Ice with a meloncholy expression. "Ice, I'm never going back to Altru!" He stood tall and strong, standing his ground.

Ice sighed, pretending to be disappointed. "Professor Isaac, weren't we once colleagues who worked alongside each other? Why, I learned how to operate software from you. Didn't I also share my candies with you?" Ice took a casual step forward, making Isaac cautiously draw back a little.

Isaac's face twisted with frustration and anger, a rare emotion demonstrated by him. He grabbed Rhythimi's hand to give him courage to speak up, and the two blondes held onto each other's hand tightly, not daring to let go. "You tricked me, saying it was for the good of society and peace! It was completely the other way around!" Isaac wore a pained look, his voice rising in volume. "I was lied to, over and over! I'm never going back there again! I have a job as a Research Scientist here at the Ranger Union now!"

Ice just scoffed, brushing off the blonde's accusation. "Honestly, I wouldn't know or care much about peace among Pokemon. I do know that people will be able to live easier than now. You do understand that we are a very peace-oriented organization, correct?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets, turning his head slightly to the side to look at Isaac.

Isaac tried to blink back his shock when he could have sworn he saw Ice's blue eyes flash red.

"That's a complete lie!" Sven growled, stepping up next to Wendy. He placed a hand on her shoulder, glaring across the large room at Ice. "Peace-oriented organization? You just blasted a hole in the Ranger Union's wall!"

Professor Hastings scowled at the inferior Dim Sun scum that stood before him. "You blast a hole in the Ranger Union HQ's wall, and yet you claim to be peaceful? That's stretching the truth beyond the breaking point. We'll have your lot pay for the damage." He placed both hands atop of his cane, tapping it on the ground firmly.

"Not having much success, are we?" Lavana let out an impatient sigh, shifting her weight from one leg to another.

"Handling matters in a manner befitting a gentleman takes time, my dear." Ice flashed his comrade an annoyed look, gritting his teeth. His eyes flashed red again when he glared at Lavana.

Lavana just scoffed, flipping her pink ponytail. "You call this being a gentleman?" Lavana pointed at the hostages across the room, then shook her head in a disappointed manner.

Lavana was about to say something else when she was suddenly interrupted by a different Dim Sun Minion who came running up the escalator from the bottom floor.

"ABORT MISSION! ABORT MISSION! I REPEAT, ABORT MISSION!" The Dim Sun goon panted heavily, running over towards Ice and Lavana. "With all due respect sir, ma'am..." He looked over at both Ice and Lavana. "...we need to get out of here RIGHT NOW!" His voice was shaky and panicked, demonstrating an intense amount of fear.

Ice's face contorted into the most confused look ever. "What...? What is the matter?" He was so caught off guard that his red eyes faded back to blue.

The Dim Sun Minion shivered as if he was having a flashback. "I don't know what KIND of backup these Rangers have, but it's seriously hardcore!" He frantically began his report, alarming the Ranger Union members. "Some crazy chick came busting in through the front door, and she knocked out all of our men! She even managed to subdue Heath! He's out cold!"

Ice and Lavana's eyes widened in shock, immensely surprised by that last tidbit of information. Some girl managed to knock out Heath? HEATH!? Of all people!?

The Rangers were just as shocked too. What back up? They didn't have any back up, so who...

All of a sudden, the lights began to flicker, and a huge gust of wind blew into the room from the escalator. It created an ominous feeling in the room, as if some crazy powerful and supernatural force was coming. The clicks of a woman's high heels filled the air, and everyone cautiously tore their eyes away from one another and stared in the direction of the escalator. A familiar young woman accompanied by a Mightyena stepped into the room, and the lights experienced a harsh power surge. The lights came back on, and everyone stared in shock at who it was.

Ice took a few steps backwards, accidentally bumping into a decorative base on a pedestal. The sound of it shattering on the floor broke the spell in the room, and Ice stared at the woman. "Rena..."

"Hello, Ice." She smirked, chuckling under her breath in a sinister way. "Remember me?"

Rhythimi, Isaac, and especially Keith had no words. They couldn't process this; it just couldn't be her. Was it her? Was it really her? What was she doing here? And how does she know Ice? Millions of questions without answers swirled inside their minds, only resulting in confusing them more.

Rena wore a twisted evil grin, slowly taking a step or two into the room. Her Mightyena had his fur standing straight up, and he snarled at everyone with a toothy expression. Every last drop of Rena's sanity had evaporated.

Lavana shook her head in disbelief, taking a step back. "I-It...it can't be!" Lavana gasped, and the blood drained from her face. It looked like she had seen a ghost, and in her mind, she did. "I... I shot you! You're dead!"

This news shocked the Ranger Union workers and staff, but they remained quiet and kept watching the scene unfold before them.

"Oh, yes. I believe I vaguely remember something like that happening." Rena bitterly spat out her sarcasm at Lavana, then gave an evil laugh at the end. "But then again, it is all just a blur to me. You did leave me there to die, after all."

You could hear Lavana loudly gulp from anxiety.

Rena was dressed in a black jumpsuit with twin gun holsters strapped around her thighs, two pistols resting inside of them. Strapped to her back was a strange looking, solid black staff that no one in the room recognized. It looked slightly mechanized, but it didn't have a blade at the end like most staffs did. She wore high-heeled black boots, and overall she looked like a complete psychopath that no one would dare mess with.

Keith stared breathlessly at Rena from across the room, feeling a mixture of emotions swirling inside of him. Anger, betrayal, distress, sadness, regret, and...love. He didn't know what to think.

Rena caught a glimpse of the people who were once her friends, but quickly tore her eyes away from them. She couldn't get distracted now.

Not when she has gotten so far. Nothing would keep her from getting her revenge now.

_No one_ double crosses Rena Arisa Deveraux and lives to tell the tale.

She took a step forwards, intimidating Lavana. The pink-haired woman quickly snapped her head to her left, glaring at the Dim Sun Minions. "Well don't just stand there like morons! GET HER!"

The Dim Sun goons all looked at each other for help, having a mental agreement to attack the 'intruder' all at once. The ten or so men and women charged at Rena, bearing different weapons. Some had guns, some had knives...and then there was one crazy guy who brought a Katana to the fight.

The hostages all looked over at Rena in shock, wondering what was about to happen next. All but three of these people had never seen this woman before, and none of them knew what she was really capable of.

Her Mightyena began charging a Dark Pulse, stepping forwards menacingly. Rena smirked evilly, drawing her weapon from the strap on her back and swiftly spinning it around to point it menacingly at them. "Bring it on."

The first two guys charged at her with knives, brave enough to be the first to attack. Rena gripped her black staff and held it horizontally, then pressed a red button on the center.

A loud clanging noise erupted from her staff as it extended itself to the other side of the room, attaching itself to both ends of the wall horizontally and locking into place. It essentially created a make-shift balance beam that was waist-high, running from one side of the second floor to the other, separating the hostages from the bad-guys. Rena placed her hands onto her now extended staff, pushing herself high up enough into the air to kick the first guy straight in the head. He fell to the floor, and the second guy charged at Rena, holding his knife up and ready to use it. She pushed down onto her staff, cart-wheeling herself over to the hostage side of the room. The Dim Sun goon's slash attack missed, and Rena grabbed his head and slammed it down onto the metal staff as hard as she could.

**CLANG!**

Both minions were collapsed onto the floor, either knocked out or agonizingly groaning as they were on the verge of blacking out.

Everyone in the room stared at Rena in shock for a split second, and then complete and utter chaos broke out. Rena's Mightyena shot shadow balls and unleashed powerful dark pulses at _anyone_ who dared to try and sneak up behind Rena, while she delivered blows to everyone else left and right. A fist to the face here, a kick to the gut there...this was nothing new for Rena. As seconds ticked by, the body count of unconscious Dim Sun goons sprawled out on the floor went up.

One Dim Sun minion came at Rena with a gun in her hand, but she didn't even get to point it at her before she grabbed it and slammed it up into her face. Rena placed her hands around the back of her head and slammed it down onto her knee, then came back down on the square of her back with her elbow.

**SLAM!**

**BAM!**

She wasn't conscious for much longer after that.

Keith, Rhythimi, and Isaac, Rena's former 'friends,' stared at her in complete shock. They knew Rena was violent, had a temper, and could be somewhat unpredictable, but they never knew she was capable of this. Rena's fighting skill and evil demeanor was just another painful reminder that they really never did know their 'friend' at all. She was a stranger to them, and nothing more. She lied to them about who she was, and then back-stabbed them.

And for that, Keith could never forgive her.

Isaac and Rhythimi were still left a little in the dark about Rena's disappearance, because every time they asked him what happened to her, Keith would suddenly grow very angry, violent, and depressed. They knew she got close to the three of them with her lies, then stole something important from Keith's father, but they never found out why or what it was. Keith didn't know either, but he didn't really care at the same time. She lied to him, and she lead him on. He was a fly in her spider web, and he got caught up in it regrettably.

Lavana watched in panic as many more members of her crimson unit were dropping like flies, and she desperately made eye contact with the last one standing. "You!" She pointed to the red-haired girl. "Don't just stand there waiting for your turn. Kill that blonde girl!"

Rhythimi's blood chilled when she realized Lavana meant to kill her. Why her!? Why did Lavana want a mere Operator dead?

But what she didn't realize was this was Lavana's attempt to distract Rena long enough to kill her off for good this time.

Rena glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes in anger when she saw the Crimson unit girl point a knife at Rhythimi's heart. "Oh no you don't...!"

Rhythimi flinched in shock as she watched Rena run right at the Crimson unit member at top speed and completely tackle her out of the way, slamming the girl onto the floor.

**WHAM!**

"OUCH!" The Crimson unit girl shrieked her shrill, whiny voice, glaring at Rena on top of her. "You bitch! Get off of me!"

Rena gritted her teeth as she felt the girl thrust her knife into her left arm, inflicting a decent-sized gash in her flesh. The girl used Rena's momentary distraction to shove her off of her and get the upper hand, pinning Rena down to the ground this time.

"Ugh... I hate getting stabbed." Rena gripped her wound with her hand, feeling the blood begin to ooze through the cracks of her fingers. "Alright... Now it's time for you to get off!" She used her legs to deliver one strong kick to the girl's stomach, launching her a good distance from Rena.

"Oof!"

**SLAM!**

Rhythimi stared at Rena in complete astonishment. There she was: her former best friend. She was standing two feet in front of her, gripping a bleeding gash on her arm. Her eyes slightly watered from the guilt she felt. Because of her, Rena got hurt. But then again...

She was too angry at her to feel the guilt for much longer.

Rena leveled her malevolent glare with the Crimson unit bitch, who was now standing back up and glaring right back at her. Rena advanced, despite her injury, and began throwing kicks and punches at the girl. She was able to instantly deflect almost all of Rena's attacks and land some of her own, but pretty soon, Rena got fed up of dancing back and forth with this girl and not getting anywhere.

Rena reached out and gripped the girl's shoulders, staring into her startled eyes. "Sorry, but I don't have time for this right now!"

Rena used all of her strength whirl the girl around and thrust her into the wall behind her, and she flinched slightly when she heard the girl's head come into contact with the wall. Hard. Her crippled body slid down to the floor, and the knife weakly fell out of her hand.

Now tuned back into her surroundings, Rena darted her eyes over to the three screaming guys running right at her, and Mightyena was too preoccupied with someone else to come help.

She didn't want to use her pistols, because that would involve killing someone, so what other weapon did she have...

Rena turned around to face the group of hostages right behind her, who were just staring at her curiously. They watched as a deep smirk creept up onto her face as she made eye contact with the reflection of her in her black staff that was still extended to act as a balance beam.

Swiftly, Rena flipped herself up onto the staff like a skilled gymnast, achieving complete balance on the narrow beam. It took great skill to stand up on a balance beam like that, and while wearing high heeled boots. As each guy came right at her and the hostages, Rena defended both them and herself by throwing kicks to their shoulder blades and faces whenever they would get close enough. She spun around in circles and did no-handed cartwheels back and forth across the staff to get around, dodging the minions attacks and delivering some of her own.

When the three men were either knocked out or just gave up and stayed down after sustaining their injuries, Rena did a back flip into the invisible pen the hostages were standing in.

Rena spun around on her heel and whipped her hair around as she faced Chairperson Erma directly. "Sorry this is taking so long. I didn't anticipate I would have to pummel this many morons..." She stared off at Mightyena fighting off two girl minions with dark pulse attacks, getting ready to go and join him.

Chairperson Erma remained completely calm and just waved her off. "Oh, take your time. No rush here."

Everyone else just gave Chairperson Erma an odd look for her nonchalance about the whole situation and Rena's actions, especially the boys.

Rena leapt back over her staff and ran over to cover Mightyena's back side, and she started fighting the remaining minions.

Well...

...except for one.

Rena was too busy punching yet another goon in the face to notice the other guy wielding a Katana high above his head sneaking up on her.

Rhythimi watched as he raised the sword's blade high above Rena's head, and she reacted quickly. She lunged forwards out of the crowd of hostages, looking directly at Rena. "RENA!" The brunette looked over at Rhythimi with an astounded expression, in mid-punch. "LOOK OUT FOR THE GUY BEHIND YOU!"

Rena, confused as ever, turned around just in time to see the blade coming down towards her. She barely ducked out of the way in time and felt the air that the blade had cut through blow back towards her.

This Dim Sun goon was quick, and clearly was trained to use such a blade. He quickly recovered and made a break for her face, but Rena swiftly leapt out of the way, letting the Katana become embedded in the wall. As the Dim Sun goon worked on drawing his blade from the wall, Rena quickly ran up to her staff and pressed the red button again, shrinking her weapon back down to a five-foot long staff. She gripped it and spun around just in time to block the Katana with her staff, preventing him from slashing at her.

They went back and forth with their weapons, trying to attack the other and blocking the attacks. They would occasionally reach out and slug each other in the gut and deliver a blow to the face, both fighters taking hits. As a last resort, Rena pushed the red button again, extending her staff vertically this time. It latched onto the floor and the ceiling, and Rena jumped backwards out of the way of another slash attack.

She fell to the floor, then rolled onto her side. The sharp, steel blade came crashing down inches away from her face, and Rena quickly jumped up off of the ground. She ran over to the other side of her staff and prepared herself to get a running start. She gripped it and jumped into the air, the swung herself around the extended staff and slammed her sharpened heeled boots right into his face.

**BAM!**

The Dim Sun goon groaned on the tile floor, clutching his bloody head.

Getting kicked in the head like that wasn't exactly painless.

Rena made a swift landing onto the floor, then stood up and made her way over to him. She delivered the final blow to his head with her fist, knocking him out.

There...she did it. That was the last one.

Rena slowly tilted her head up to level her glare directly at Ice. She wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, glaring intensely at the Dim Sun leaders.

"So, where were we?" Rena smirked, gripping her black staff tightly and shrinking it back down once again.

Lavana's lip quivered with fear as she looked at all of the unconscious minions, realizing that Rena was the one with the upper hand here.

They were outnumbered. Rena alone counted as an army of one thousand.

Trying not to show her fear, Lavana chuckled darkly to herself and stared down at the floor. "Oh, you little fool..." Her sinister laugh chilled everyone's blood. "Time to take over this persuasion act and do it in a dirty, despicable way. Like this, for instance!"

Lavana snapped her fingers, and as if on cue, a Dim Sun minion entered the Ranger Union's second floor through the gaping hole blasted through the wall, and he stepped up to the Sinis Trio member while holding onto the collar of a little girl.

The Ranger Union member's eyes all widened in absolute terror, watching as Lavana grabbed Ice's gun off of his belt and snatched the girl's shirt collar. It was Isaac's sister...

Melody.

She smirked devilishly over at the hostages, knowing fully well that she had the upper hand now. She didn't even have finger on the trigger; it wasn't necessary. It was just the mere thought of what Lavana could do to Melody that scared Isaac and the others.

She continued to point her gun at the hostages while she shoved the barrel of Ice's gun into Melody's head. She pulled the little girl in front of her so Rena could clearly see her, hoping this would get her to back off.

"Don't move!" Lavana laughed crazily. "Make one more move towards me and I pull the trigger!" The click of the gun getting ready to fire reached everyone's wars, causing them all to panic.

"Lavana, I don't think..." Ice tried to stop her, but it was no use. Her sanity was far gone.

"SHUT UP! EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!" Lavana shrieked, laughing like a crazy person. She had blown her top and finally lost it. Lavana looked back over at the crowd of hostages, feeding off of their horrified looks.

Rena's eyes widened in shock, staring at Melody. The little girl she had once bonded with stared right back at her, trembling with fear.

"Big sister! Help!" Melody cried, squirming in Lavana's grip. She looked so scared and on the verge of tears.

That nickname... It...it was the one she gave Rena a long time ago. The one she gave her because she felt Rena really was her big sister.

A tiny spark went off inside of Rena's head, and the dark, cloudy revenge that had been blocking Rena's sight began to clear away just a little bit at the sound of Melody's voice.

A little bit of her sanity had returned.

Rena looked at Isaac, noticing him flash her a pleading look, despite his indifference towards her. She looked back over at Lavana, who had literally gone crazy.

She had to stay strong and show no weakness. Lavana was tugging at the puppet strings, trying to see which one did what. If she showed weakness for Melody, there was no doubt that Lavana would kill her. There was no such thing as "too far" for Lavana.

Rena carefully set her staff down on the ground, then put her hands up in the air. Lavana seemed satisfied with this move. "Now, Lavana... Let Mel...I mean, let the little girl go. Your quarrel is with me, not her." Rena tried to persuade the psychopath to see reason, but she had a strong feeling that it wasn't going to work.

"Ahah! No can do." Lavana chuckled evilly under her breath, tightening her grip on Melody's shoulder. "You either leave right now, or I kill her. I'm not giving you a choice besides those two." Lavana smirked, knowing she had won.

"Alright then." Rena sighed, looking up at Lavana through her bangs that had slightly dusted over her eyes. "It looks like you give me no choice."

And it was at this very moment that time seemed to slow down.

The very moment when Rena reached for one of her pistols resting in its holster.

Isaac widened his eyes in shock and lunged forward a little, and Rhythimi had to hold him back. "RENA, NO...!"

**BLAM!**

The gun shot echoed throughout the entire building, making the entire room fall quiet. The sound of a body crashing to the floor was soon heard, and a pained cry that sounded almost animal-like followed right after.

"AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIYEEEEEEEEEE!"

Lavana crippled to the ground, clutching her bloody hand that was once holding a gun. "YOU BITCH! YOU SHOT ME!" She glared up at Rena with a look of contempt, enduring severe pain.

Rena just shrugged, shoving her pistol back into the holster strapped to her right thigh. "You shot me first."

Melody grabbed both Lavana and Ice's discarded guns off of the floor and ran over to Rena, leaping into her arms. Rena accepted the hug and embraced her tightly, running a hand through her hair. She took the two guns from Melody and wedged them both in-between her tool belt and jump suit, then continued to embrace Melody tightly.

Rena smiled into Melody's shoulder, mumbling her next sentence so quietly that only Melody would hear it. "You did _great_, kiddo. You were so brave, and I am _so_ proud of you. I told you that you could stand up for yourself if you just let yourself try."

Rena's words made the little girl smile, and Melody wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. "I've missed you so much, big sister..."

Isaac stood there completely shell-shocked. Melody was okay? Phew... Isaac didn't know what he would do if he had lost her.

He looked up at Melody and Rena from across the room with sad eyes. When did those two get so close...? And why didn't Melody run to him instead of Rena? She called Rena "big sister" a moment ago, so what's going on?

Isaac didn't know, but he was a little uncomfortable seeing Rena, the villain, embracing his little sister. She was all he had really, and he didn't want Rena to hurt her just like how she hurt him and the others.

Rena set Melody down on the ground, crouching down to her height. "Melody, I want you to run." She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, staring at her sincerely.

Melody pouted a little, then glanced at Isaac over her shoulder. "But what about big brother..."

Rena gently turned Melody's face back around to look at her. "He'll be fine, I promise. I'm going to take care of things. Now, run. Run as far as you can and don't look back..." Rena stood up from the ground and stared over at Ice, not even looking at Melody. "...because this is about to get ugly."

Melody nodded her head and took off reluctantly, and Isaac watched her go. Mightyena took his place next to his partner again, and the silence was soon broken.

Rena waltz over to Lavana, practically glowing with pure, black darkness and evil. Lavana trembled in her spot on the ground, completely helpless.

Defenseless.

Rena crouched down and grabbed Lavana's throat with one hand, then held her up high in the air. She began to violently strangle her, surprising everyone in the room. "HOW COULD YOU!?" Rena hissed at Lavana, all of her patience had been lost at this point. Her desire for revenge clouded her eyes once more, now that Melody was safe. "A LITTLE GIRL? YOU WOULD KILL A LITTLE, INNOCENT GIRL JUST TO GET TO ME!?_" _She choked Lavana harder, who's face was starting to turn blue. "You...are a pathetic, weak human being." Rena shook her head, disappointed. "How far will you go to succeed!? You don't think I know what you're up to!? What you're ALL up to!?" She hardened her glare as she began strangling the last bit of Lavana's life out of her. "I KNOW EVERYTHING! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU AND YOUR DISGRACEFUL ORGANIZATION PLAN TO DO! It's people like you that..."

"RENA, STOP!" Rhythimi cried, pleading her. The blonde didn't know how much of an effect this would have on Rena, but it was more effective than she had imagined. They once were best friends, or at least Rhythimi thought they once were each other's best friend.

Rena flinched when Rhythimi spoke, and all other background noise seemed to drain from the area, so the only thing Rena could hear was Rhythimi's plea for her to stop. She shot her a sideways glance, then looked back up at Lavana. Her air was completely cut off, and she was on the brink of death thanks to Rena losing her temper: the one thing her and Keith had in common.

The potential to be evil.

Rena gave a fake sigh, then simply released Lavana from her grip, letting her crash to the floor.

**CRASH!**

"GASP!" Lavana violently gasped for air, clutching her _severely_ bruised throat. A large, purple bruise in the shape of a hand print began to form around her neck.

"Fine. Whatever." Rena shot the crowd of hostages a sideways glance, speaking with a hint of disinterest. "I wasn't going to kill her right now, anyways. Too many witnesses."

With the exception of Chairperson Erma, the Ranger Union members just stared at her with fear reflected in their eyes. Right now? She wasn't going to kill her right now? Just what exactly is this woman really capable of!?

Sven leaned over to Wendy and Chairperson Erma. "Who is that woman!?" He whispered harshly, shooting Rena a quizzical look.

"I don't know..." Wendy shook her head, staring at the strange woman. "I've never seen her before in my life, or heard of her."

Chairperson Erma remained quiet the entire time, clearly thinking about something intensely. She studied Rena, watching her every move. There was something curious about this girl to Chairperson Erma, and she was about to find out just what that was.

"She's yours, boy." Rena jerked her head to the side, ushering Mightyena to do what he wanted with Lavana.

Mightyena growled and pounced the pink-haired woman, pinning her down to the ground. He bore his teeth, ready to clamp them down on her throat at any moment if he was ordered to do so.

Rena chuckled evilly under her breath, so sinister that it gave everyone in the room shivers than ran up their spines. "You sick, twisted, son of a bitch..." She narrowed her eyes at Ice, glaring at him with contempt. Rena unclipped a strange device from her tool belt that almost resembled a mechanized frisbee. She simultaneously threw it at him and pulled a remote from her pocket, watching what was about to unfold next.

The "frisbee" began to shift and change forms, and it strapped itself around Ice's chest. Ice exhaled a loud "oof!" when the device collided into him, and he tried to pry it off with no success. The metal straps that were wrapped around his torso were just too tight.

Rena held the little remote up to her face, letting Ice see it. "You like it? It's my own little invention. I call it the spider." She began pacing back and forth a little in her spot, occasionally looking over at Ice. "You see, electric Pokemon have always fascinated me. The electrical currents they can pulse out of their bodies... It's amazing, really." She stopped pacing and looked directly at Ice, who was desperately trying not to show fear. "I enjoy electrocuting people. It's much more satisfying to electrocute someone tortuously instead of cutting them with steel blades..." Rena mused out loud with a delicate smile on her face, and Ice made an audible gulp.

"So, this..." Ice nervously stared down at the spider clamping down around his lungs. "...is a...a...torture device!?"

Rena just scoffed. "Well, duh. Weren't you listening?" She tilted her head to the side, flashing him an innocent look of pity. "Let's test it, shall we?" She laughed in the direction of the Ranger Union members, feeding off of the fear in the room.

Keith stared at the psychopath in shock. That wasn't Rena, the Rena he once knew. Well, she's not the person she pretended to be. Torturing people? How crazy could this chick _get_?

He felt lost without her, and yet he felt lost with her at the same time. Keith didn't know what he felt, and he surely didn't know what to think anymore. Did he even love her anymore? And if he did, who was he in love with?

Rena was consumed by her desire for revenge at this point, and there was no going back. She cranked the dial on the remote up to the first notch, and held her finger over the red button. "This, dear Ice..." She stepped forwards, a little closer to him. "This is for hiring me on this job in the first place."

**Click!**

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT!**

Ice shrieked horrifically as blue electrical currents surrounded the Sinis Trio leader. He was in intense pain, and he dropped down to his knees.

Rena cranked the dial up to the next notch. "This...this is for lying to me, and deceiving me about what I was really stealing." She looked down on him as her thumb slammed down on the red button.

**Click!**

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT!**

Ice screamed even louder this time. This electric shock was even more painful than the last, given that the strength of the electrical currents had been brought up.

Rena cranked it up yet another notch; she had no limitations holding her back. "This... This is for blackmailing me."

**Click!**

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT!**

The electricity stung at his skin, and it pulsed through his veins. "RAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!" Ice cried out in agony. His body felt so weak and on the brink of collapse. He was on his hands and knees at this point, and the occasional spark of electricity emitted from him.

The clicks of Rena's high heels echoed throughout the building once again as she stepped closer to Ice. She crouched down in front of him, wearing a look of pity. "Oh, you poor thing. That looked like it hurt."

Ice tried to growl at her and possibly swing at her, but his body was just too weak. The only sound that escaped his lips was a pained groan. "It was...the bosses...orders... Not...mine." Ice gasped, struggling to speak.

"Does it matter?" Rena let out a carefree laugh. "Does it matter who shot me? Who blackmailed me? Who betrayed me? You're all the same." Rena glared at Ice intensely. "You're all equally dead to me, and I'm going to make you _pay_."

Ice's face turned white, and he was having a hard time forcing words out of his mouth. "Cut off one head...and...two more...take...its place..."

"Oh, I know." Rena smiled. "That's why I'm not cutting of one of the Hydreigon's heads." She leaned in even closer to his face as she smiled so sweetly and evilly at the same time. "I'm plunging a sword right through its belly."

Ice turned slightly to stare at her, completely horrified.

Rena lightly caressed his cheek with her hand, tilting her head to the side and staring into his icy-blue eyes. "You know, we were friends, once..." She stood up, moving her eyes over to the remote control. "But then... I found out that you lied. I found out that you and your boss were planning a double cross from the very beginning. And then..." Rena cut off her speech with a cynical laugh. "...and then you got the GENIUS idea to try and kill ME! HAH! ME, OF ALL CRIMINALS!" The darkness swirled through her mind as her insanity pushed her over the edge. "THERE IS A REASON THAT NO MAN HAS EVER DARED TO DOUBLE CROSS ME! IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE SMART ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE DEALING WITH FORCES BEYOND THEM!" She laughed even harder now, sounding just as crazy as Lavana had before. "AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUNNY THING ABOUT ALL OF THAT IS, ICE!?" Rena glared down at him, and Ice used up whatever strength he had left to look at her. "I FOOLISHLY TRUSTED YOU! I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SUCH A FOOL AND TRUSTED YOU! ...Now that, that is where I made my mistake..." She lowered her voice to a quiet growl, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "I never should of trusted you. If I didn't trust you, then maybe Lavana wouldn't have shot me back in that air strip during the drop-off, just leaving me there to slowly bleed out and die..." She stared down at the tile floor with a pained look, immensely hurt. "I trusted you..." She sobbed briefly, then her anger began to boil up again inside of her. "I TRUSTED YOU, DAMMIT! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I LIVE THE LIFE THAT I LIVE! BECAUSE I CAN'T TRUST ANYONE ANYMORE!" Rena took three steps back from Ice, staring at his contrite facial expression.

Rena watched as Ice looked truly heartbroken for hurting her, but then something happened. He seemed to squirm in pain briefly, and Rena's eyes widened as she watched Ice's eyes flash a supernatural shade of red and stay that way. Ice's look of remorse had melted away and been replaced with a look of cocky arrogance. A face that showed no regret.

Rena's lip trembled from anger, and she cranked up the dial all the way up to the highest level of electrical currents that she had made available. "And this..." She stared at him with her hurt, angered look. "...this is for Melody."

**Click!**

**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT!!**

Ice's scream echoed throughout not only the Ranger Union, but all the way through Pueltown. The citizens stopped to listen to the pained shriek, concerned about what was going on. The entire town fell quiet until the echoed scream died down, making everyone feel uneasy.

Ice's body was engulfed in yellow and blue electrical currents, shocking him from the inside out. The shock lasted only for thirty seconds, but they were the most painful...most excruciating thirty seconds of Ice's life.

Rena clicked a different button on the side of the remote, causing the spider to unlatch itself from Ice and fly back towards Rena's face like a boomerang. She effortlessly caught it by the side of her face without looking by simply raising her hand and catching it. She strapped it back onto her back, then stuffed the remote into a pocket on her tool belt.

Ice was sprawled out on the floor. Not dead, but close to it. He occasionally twitched and sparked here and there, groaning ever so quietly.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself...?" Rena mumbled to Ice, looking up lazily from the floor and over at him.

Ice managed to sputter out a quiet, mocking laugh. "You deserved it..."

Rena's eyes caught on fire, and she lunged for the man. She gripped him by his shirt collar, spinning him around in a circle and slamming his back into the wall. All of the hostages winced as Rena's fist met Ice's cheek, making him spit out blood.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She tightened her grip on his shirt collar with both hands, pushing him into the wall. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!? I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE FRIENDS! WAS ANY OF IT REAL? OR WAS I JUST ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR GODDAMN PAWNS!?" Rena shook him violently with her immense anger seething through her teeth.

Ice weakly wiped away some of the blood pouring from his mouth, mocking Rena with a laugh. "You thought wrong... I was never your friend." Rena felt a stab to the heart, and her eyes began to water. "You didn't even do the job right!" Ice laughed, regaining some of his strength.

Rena pulled a gun from her belt, pushing the barrel up into Ice's chin. "Now THAT is total bullshit. I did EVERYTHING according to plan, following orders!" Rena defended herself, defending her honor.

"HAH!" Ice scoffed, amazed by how confident Rena felt about her work. "As if!You completely screwed up the job, barely making it work in the end. Not to mention the several close calls that I had to clean up after because of you."

"How so...?" Rena narrowed her eyes at him, growling under her breath.

"The job was simple." Ice smirked, glaring at her. "All you had to do was attend the Ranger School, pose as a Ranger-in-training, befriend Keith and his two loser friends, get Keith to take you home with him after graduation, break into his father's office, steal the document, and then deliver it to us."

Keith, Rhythimi, and Isaac all widened their eyes in shock. So... That's why she did what she did?

For a stupid document!?

Keith felt more heartbroken and used than ever before, and Isaac and Rhythimi felt miserable.

Murph looked over at his three friends, and so did Sven, Wendy, Chairperson Erma, and Professor Hastings. This was the first time they ever heard of this, and they certainly didn't realize that three of their coworkers were involved.

Rhythimi and Isaac mainly felt used and pathetic, upset for how stupid they were, letting Rena...no, letting this monster into their lives.

However, Keith...

Keith felt heartbroken and betrayed, and his face was reddened with anger. He wanted to storm across the room and punch Rena right across the face, because all hopes of her love for him being real were completely crushed at this exact moment.

"And that's EXACTLY what I did!" Rena yelled at Ice without loosening her grip on his shirt collar, exasperated.

"No, it's not." Ice scoffed again. "Foolish, foolish girl... Deveraux, you were supposed to only PRETEND to befriend those losers. You weren't supposed to befriend them for real and try to back out of the job."

Rhythimi and Isaac snapped their heads up too look at Rena, completely shocked by what Ice had said.

What...?

Was she...was she really their friend after all...?

Rhythimi looked at Keith for help, but he still wore that ticked off look.

Chairperson Erma and Isaac watched Rena's reaction with utmost curiosity. Her eyes widened, not from shock, but from fear. She released her grip on Ice, stepping back a little. She shook her head and spun around, turning her back to Ice. She scoffed a little, crossing her arms and staring down at the floor. "S-Shut up... You... You don't know what you're talking about..." She mumbled quietly, but everyone in the room still heard her.

Ice smirked, knowing that he now had the upper hand. "Don't you remember prom night? You practically begged me to let you back out of the job." Ice laughed, rubbing the sore spot on his cheek where Rena punched him.

"Shut up..." Rena growled under her breath, shaking her head a little.

He raised his voice, mimicking Rena's pleads poorly._ "Ice, please! I beg you! Let me back out of this, I...I just can't do this to them! Rhythimi is amazing and wonderful, I could never do this to her... I love her too much to leave her behind, and like this..." _Ice used mocking hand gestures to really sell it, having fun making fun of her.

Rhythimi was completely startled as she stared across the room at Rena.

Was that... Was that true? Did she really say that about her?

"Shut. Up." Rena bitterly snapped, raising her head a little.

_"And Isaac... Isaac is a genius."_ Ice continued, still mocking her._ "He's so smart and funny, and I care about him and his little sister Melody a lot. He's the only person I've ever met that I don't have to talk down to, because he's at my level of intelligence, if not higher..." _Ice used a 'girl' voice to try and be more convincing.

Isaac did the same thing as Rhythimi, staring over at Rena, wondering if any of that was true.

Was it true? Could it be? Or was it all just another lie?

Isaac just didn't know what to believe anymore. Not after being lied to so many times by Team Dim Sun, and Rena...

"SHUT. UP." Rena raised her voice, uncrossing her arms and standing straight up.

"Oh, and don't even get me started on Keith..." Ice was the cut off by Rena slamming her fist into his nose so hard that it shattered upon impact. "YOOOOW!" He cried out, clutching his bleeding nose.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Rena shrieked like a banshee, pulling out her pistol again. She pulled her finger up to the trigger, pointing it directly at Ice. "SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

Ice smirked, because he had successfully pissed her off. Now, he just had to say one more thing, distracting her for just a moment longer.

"You know, you once were once the best thief in the world...Raux." Ice used her code name, revealing her identity to those of the Ranger Union. Professor Hastings and Sven were completely surprised by this; 'Raux' was a name _very_ familiar to them. "But then... You grew soft. You're not so great anymore. You're not as great as you once were..." He looked up from the floor and over at Rena, spotting Heath come up the escalator and grab Mightyena, muffling the hound Pokemon so he couldn't alert his partner of the approaching threat.

That's it.

Rena had enough at this point. She was about to say something else, when she felt an additional presence enter the room. In a swift movement, she grabbed her second pistol and swung her arm around, pointing it directly backwards without tearing her eyes away from Ice. She got both guns ready to fire simultaneously, and she smirked to herself. "Oh yeah, one more thing. Call off your stupid yellow dog or I put a bullet in both of your brains."

Ice was amazed at how sharp she was. How did she...? Oh, who knows.

He growled to himself, knowing his last resort had been foiled. He snapped his fingers at Heath, 'calling off his dog.' "Heath, stand down. Just grab as many members as you can and get them back to the helicopter. Lavana, you leave, too."

Heath pouted, about to lose his temper again. Rena looked over her shoulder with a devious smirk at the yellow-haired freak, still pointing her gun at Heath. Heath set down Mightyena and effortlessly scooped up ALL of the unconscious Dim Sun minions and members of Lavana's Crimson unit, hefting them over his shoulders. Lavana weakly followed him as he stepped into the white light of the gaping hole in the wall, disappearing from sight. Rena suspected that there was a helicopter right outside that hole in the wall, but the light was too bright to see anything outside. The clouds must have parted, letting the sun come out.

Rena moved her arm that was previously behind her up to the front, pointing both pistols at Ice. She just smirked as Mightyena took his place next to her. "Are you done?"

Ice glared at her, upset that he had lost. "What do you want?" He looked at her, confused by her determination. "Your money? Fine, that can be arranged." Rena just scoffed, taking a step closer, still aiming her pistols at Ice. He just sweatdropped. "F-Fine! I-I'll double your price! We'll pay you two billion, okay! Just back off!"

But Rena didn't back off.

Rena just laughed at him unbelievably. "You think you can just buy me off, after everything you have done to me!? You seriously think this is about the stupid money!?_"_

Ice drew his head back a little. "...it's not...?" Rena shook her head 'no,' causing Ice to make an audible gulp. "T-Then... What is it you want?"

Rena smiled like a psychopath with craziness gleaming in her eyes. "Don't you understand? I want REVENGE." She chuckled in a sinister manner, making chills run up Ice's spine. "I will not rest until I KILL. EVERY. LAST. ONE. OF. YOU." Rena laughed even louder, taking another step closer. "I am going to get my revenge by killing every last member of your organization that drained my bank accounts, alerted the cops of my identity, seized my personal collection of weapons and various stolen items, compromised the place that I once called home, and ruined my life." She glared at him intensely, demonstrating her conviction.

Ice just stared at her wide-eyed. "You... We thought you were dead! The cops know who you are, so it's only a matter of time before they find you and put you away! You'll never get away with this!" Ice nervously laughed, hoping he was right.

Rena just stared at him with a smile. A crazy smile.

"Don't you see, dear Ice? I'm a dead man walking." Rena scoffed, stepping even closer. "Just like you said, it's only a matter of time before Interpol finally realizes that I'm still alive and out in public. And when they do, they'll put me away in maximum security prison." Rena tilted her head to the side, not wiping that bitter smile from her face. "No matter what I do, my life is coming to an end soon...and I'm taking you down with me." She moved her fingers to the triggers, getting ready to pull them. She didn't even care about the witnesses at this point.

She didn't want to kill the minions because they were simply misguided people, but Ice, Lavana, and everyone else pulling the strings for Dim Sun?

They were fair game.

Ice gained confidence, then began doing a slow clap. As Rena wore a confused look on her face, Ice pulled a remote of his own from his pocket. "Well, this was fun. I enjoyed the show." He smirked at her, causing her scowl to grow bigger. "Now, I believe it is time for me to go." He held the button on the remote down, and held his hands up. "You see, Deveraux, this is a dead-man's switch. Kill me, and I release the button, causing the ENTIRE Ranger Union to blow, killing all of your little 'friends.'"

Rena stared at him in shock. The spell of vengeance and revenge that had been cast on her was finally broken. She had come back down to earth, completely aware of what she was doing now. "Y-You... You're bluffing." She stared at him in disbelief, drawing back a little.

"Maybe so..." Ice trailed off, then smirked back up at her. "But you can't take that risk, can you?" He looked over at the crowd of hostages. "The lives of your 'friends' depend on it."

Rena stared at Ice, then at Keith, Rhythimi, and Isaac. She looked at the two blondes for help, and they wore pleading looks. "But they're innocent people!"

"No one is ever completely innocent." Ice gave her a cold stare with those beady red eyes, far gone from his sanity as well.

Rena stared back at Ice, letting out a defeated sigh. "F-Fine... What do you want me to do?"

Ice grinned brightly. "Oh, Deveraux...I thought you would never ask." He beamed at her with a devious smirk. "Set your weapons down, kick them over to me, turn around with your hands behind your head, and get down on the floor."

"W-What!?" Rena stammered, horrified by this request.

Rena had never surrendered her pride before. Never. If she did what he asked, her pride would be destroyed, and Ice may or may not keep his promise. But if she didn't, well...

"You heard me." Ice smirked, tilting the remote back and forth. "Tick tock."

One single tear slipped from Rena's crystal blue eye, and she stared over at Keith. She could see how much he hated her just by looking at him. She then followed her eyes through the crowd, glancing at Rhythimi, Isaac, Murph, Professor Hastings, Chairperson Erma, Sven, and Wendy. Even though she hadn't met a majority of those people over there, she came to the same conclusion.

With great internal struggle, Rena set her pistols down on the floor, along with the two confiscated pistols on her belt. She kicked them over to Ice along with her spider and her staff that was still on the ground. She turned around with her hands behind her head, getting down on the floor.

Ice was more than just a little amused by this. "Huh. Never did I think I'd live to see the great and powerful Raux surrender to anybody... And for a reason like this." Ice shook his head, disappointed in her. "These people, they are your weakness. I was right...you're weak, and definitely NOT the heartless thief you once were."

And with that, he disappeared through the hole in the wall. The sound of a helicopter taking off whirred through the air, and it grew quieter as it disappeared off into the distance. Rena remained on the ground with her hands behind her head in complete shock.

How could she have lost? How!?

Sven walked over to the woman on the floor, grabbing her hands and putting them together behind her back. He slapped a pair of metal handcuffs on her wrists, jerking her up from the ground.

Rena was still in shock, she couldn't react. She just kept mumbling to herself. "I... I lost... He got away..."

Professor Hastings stepped up to Sven, staring at Rena as if she was just another specimen. "Take her to the interrogation room. Frankly, I have a LOT of questions to ask her..."

"Yes, sir." Sven saluted the Professor, beginning to drag Rena up to the third floor.

"And Keith, do something about that Mightyena."

"Yes, sir."

Rena stared brainlessly at her former 'friends' as she was being taken away in handcuffs. "I let him get away..."

* * *

***sits here awkwardly in my writer corner***

**...umm. I'm getting this feeling that you guys hate me for making everyone still hate Rena, making her ultimately lose the fight, and also nearly killing Ice. And also, we only have seven chapters left of the book.**

***sweatdrops and runs away***

**READ, REVIEW, AND ENJOY!**


	34. Chapter 34: Interrogation

**(Third Person POV)**

Inside of a dark, dimly lit room in the Ranger Union...

Professor Hastings just sighed. He had enough of interrogating this girl at this point; she just wouldn't answer any of his questions! The only thing he knew about her was her name and that she could possibly be one of the biggest criminals in the world, and that's only because he overheard those Dim Sun fools say so during the Union raid. He had been 'interrogating' this woman for over three hours now.

"Answer me!" He slammed his fists down on the steel table, staring directly at Rena. "Just who are you!?"

Rena lazily looked up from the table and at Professor Hastings, noticing the one-way glass window behind him. She knew someone was behind it; she just didn't know who exactly. She stared back at Professor Hastings, wearing a pissed off look.

"Rena, please..." Isaac sighed, looking down at her. "Talk to us." He tried to smother his hurt feelings of betrayal, but it was too easy for someone like Rena to pick up on them.

Rena just scoffed in order to hide her guilt, leaning back in her metal chair. Although, she was handcuffed to the table, so she couldn't exactly lean back _too_ far. She remained completely silent and refused to speak, only deepening Hastings's frustration.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and Rhythimi stepped inside. "Oh, sorry... Professor Hastings, you're needed." Rhythimi apologized, delivering the message. "Chairperson Erma wishes to speak with all of us in the Conference Room."

Hastings nodded, stepping out of the room. As frustrated as he was, he knew taking a break was just what he needed, and this was probably something very important.

Another person dashed into the room after Hastings left, tackling Isaac into a big hug. "Big brother! You're safe!" Melody cheered, hugging him tightly.

Rena's indifferent facade was immediately broken as she stood straight up at the sight of Melody, and her face changed from pissed off to apologetic and distraught.

Melody turned her head, and as soon as she spotted Rena, her face lit up with a big grin. "Big sister!" She stared at Rena's handcuffs looped through a small indentation on the table, then looked back up at Rena. "...why are you chained to a table...?"

Rena wanted to cry. She had a soft spot for Melody; she always did. She didn't want her to find out the truth about her 'big sister,' but it was only a matter of time...

"Melody, let's go." Isaac grabbed ahold of his sister's hand as he glared at Rena, dragging her out the door.

"But, wait! Big brother!" Melody protested, trying to get closer to Rena. "I want to see big sister!"

Rhythimi glared at Rena intensely, and Rena could sense that she was thinking _shame on you_. It looked like she was about to say something, but all she did was turn and leave with Isaac and Melody.

Rena was left crestfallen and alone as soon as they locked the door behind them. She plopped back down into her chair heavily, and she glanced back at the window in the room. She didn't think anyone was there anymore; they probably left to go see Chairperson Erma like the others did.

But, Rena was wrong. There _was_ someone behind that one-way window, and his name was Keith Jeremy Dazzle: the one person Rena had hurt the most.

Keith didn't know why he was even here in the first place, especially since all that seeing her brought him was pain and more anger.

He didn't want to forgive her. He didn't want to understand her. He just wanted to know...he just wanted to know why.

Maybe he'd find the answers he was looking for by watching her interrogation, or maybe not. He had mixed feelings about this. Part of him wanted to bust through that door and sweep her off her feet, taking her away from the danger...but then the other part of him would remember that the girl he fell for wasn't the one sitting in that interrogation room, and he would grow sad and lonely again... That girl was dead, and this one was nothing but an empty, cold-hearted shell of her.

He wasn't quite sure of his own feelings yet, and with one last look at the brunette through the one-way glass, Keith opened the door and left without her ever knowing that he was once there. He was going to join everyone else in the Conference Room.

He left her. Just as she once left him.

A single tear slipped down Rena's cheek as she shut her eyes tightly. She wanted to cry, but she was far too stubborn for that.

So instead, she slipped out of her handcuffs and picked up the steel table, aiming it right at the door. "Let's finish this..."

**BAM!**

* * *

"Professor Hastings, have you learned anything from the Incredible Machine's data disc?" Erma asked him, almost a little hopeful.

"Nothing yet, I'm afraid..." The older man scratched at his forehead, sighing in frustration. "The data disc Sven and Keith recovered from the Oil Rig is password protected. It has defied our efforts to crack it." Hastings admitted regrettably. "I questioned Isaac about it, but he doesn't know what the password is..."

They had all gathered in the Conference Room on the second floor of the Ranger Union; the same floor where it had all gone down, and where they had been held hostage just hours before. Isaac, Rhythimi, Keith, Sven, Wendy, Barlow, Professor Hastings, and Chairperson Erma had all gathered to form a plan of some sort. They were still in the dark about just who exactly Team Dim Sun is and what they were planning, but after the attack on the Ranger Union, Erma and Hastings figured it was something big, and that it was probably happening soon. _Very_ soon. They didn't have any time to lose.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help..." Isaac slumped his shoulders, hanging his head in defeat. "I can't believe Dim Sun tricked me into thinking I was doing good by aiding them in their research..."

"Don't worry about it." Keith slapped him on the back. "You were deceived. We all were..." He looked over at Rhythimi, sharing her saddened look. "There wasn't anything you could have done."

Isaac stood up straight with a look of crushed hope on his face. "...I know, but I still can't help but feel useless one way or another."

"Well, what about the girl?" Erma pitched a new question, which made three of the younger adults cringe a little. "Were you able to pull any information from her in the interrogation room?"

Hastings only grew more frustrated as he sighed again. "Not a thing. She's good, I'll give her that. Strong, too." He ran a hand through his white hair, staring at the floor in confusion. "She resisted every single interrogation tactic I know..."

"That's because she's a professional criminal...whoever she really is." Keith crossed his arms over his chest, kicking at the green underfoot monitor that he was standing on.

Erma eyed Keith strangely as she suddenly remembered something. "Yes... Now that you mention it, didn't one of those Sinis Trio people say that you three knew her?" The older woman questionably looked over at Keith, Rhythimi, and Isaac.

When the three of them fell quiet, Wendy stepped up cautiously. "Guys, what's going on? If you know something, you have to tell us..." She worriedly eyed Keith the most, who looked more pissed off than upset, unlike Isaac and Rhythimi.

Keith was quiet, and his eyes just screamed anger. However, he tried to explain to Wendy everything he knew without letting his hate seethe through his teeth. "She came to Ranger School a little late, posing as a Ranger Student. She got close to the three of us, and I thought she was our friend, but..." The red-head grew hesitant, reluctant to admit that he had also been duped. "But the minute I took her home with me for summer break, she broke into my father's office and stole the hard copy of that data disc from him." Keith pointed to the disc in Hastings's hand, which alarmed the professor.

Rhythimi and Isaac looked completely crestfallen as Hastings stepped closer to Keith. "What...? What could your father possibly have to do with what is on this data disc?"

Keith glared off at nothing in particular, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Well, he _is_ an inventor. It's likely that he invented whatever is on that disc, and Dim Sun hired Rena to steal it from my father..." He stared down at the floor as he sighed, shutting his eyes tight. It was the first time he had spoken a theory as to why she betrayed him out loud and have it actually make sense.

Erma pressed her finger to her lips. "Hm... Sven, what did Dim Sun say exactly about the disc you retrieved from their hideout?"

The ravenette Top Ranger leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well, they said it was the digital blueprints for something they referred to as the 'Incredible Machine,' and the original copy was a paper blueprint that we were unable to find. Other than that, they were pretty secretive about it." He shrugged, not having any other information to give.

Hastings looked over at Erma questionably. "Erma, you don't think..."

"That's exactly what I think." Erma looked over at Keith regrettably. "Keith, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I think this is what happened. Dim Sun hired your father to design the Incredible Machine, but after he completed the blueprints, he realized that it was a dangerous weapon that he couldn't turn over."

Keith looked over at Erma in shock. "Oh god, are you saying...?"

"I'm afraid so..." She pressed her lips into a thin line as she tapped her cane on the floor. "They needed someone to steal it back for them, and it would appear they hired that girl to con you out of it. Rena, was it?"

Keith never looked more betrayed in his entire life. "I..." He was completely speechless. His face just screamed heartbreak and betrayal.

He... He loved her, and he thought she loved him too, so how...? How could she do something so horrible?

She really had been lying to him the whole time... She only pretended to be interested in him. It really was all just a lie.

"Keith..." Rhythimi stepped closer to the red-head, placing her hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry. She used us too..." The blonde stood up on her tip-toes and hugged him tightly around the neck, which he didn't protest to.

Keith returned the hug tightly and buried his upset face into her hair. "I'm sorry, guys... This is all my fault. I put you guys in danger all because I'm friends with you... It's all my fault that you're hurt too..."

"No, no..." Isaac tried to reassure him, and he patted Keith on the back. "Keith, it's not your fault. Like you said earlier, we were all tricked. We didn't know it was all just a con, so don't blame yourself for our hurt feelings too." Isaac stared down at the floor, looking a little angry, actually. "That is solely her fault..."

It hurt Erma to see some of her favorite coworkers so heartbroken and upset, and she glanced over at Hastings. "Hastings, were you able to confirm our suspicions as to her true identity?"

Hastings simply pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, she's exactly who we thought she was. It's spectacular, really. We ran her fingerprints, and no data on her came up at all. She is a literal, walking ghost." He was almost a little impressed by the lack of information they pulled up on Rena. "However, her prints did match those found on a few minor heists and gun-smuggling deals that were intercepted by the police. She's good, but there's no such thing as the perfect crime. She was bound to slip up and leave partial fingerprints and DNA occasionally."

"So you're saying she really is...?" When Hastings nodded his head once, Erma's question had already been answered. "Good god... I suppose we should be obligated to inform Interpol immediately." The Chairperson stressfully rubbed at her forehead, staring down at the floor.

"Umm, Chairperson Erma?" Rhythimi sniffled as she approached the older woman, trying to recover from her minor emotional moment. "Who... Who exactly is she really?"

Wendy and Sven looked at each other once before Wendy cautiously approached the trio. "Guys, she's a high-profile, professional contract thief and grifter-for-hire. She's the best con artist out there, and no one knew anything about her other than her code name 'RAUX' until now."

"In fact," Sven started to say. "She was so invisible and unable to trace that most people were under the impression that she was a middle-aged man with years of experience..." The ravenette reached out and patted Keith on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, man. Dim Sun really knows who to hire to get the job done..."

"She's a con artist...?" Keith scoffed cynically to himself. "I should've known."

Rhythimi started to suspiciously look around the room, and Chairperson Erma noticed her immediately. "Rhythimi, what is the matter?"

"Umm..." The blonde hesitated before blurting out the rest of her thought suddenly. "I was just wondering who's watching Rena in the interrogation room if we're all in here..."

Hastings rose a quizzical eyebrow at the blonde Operator. "Well, no one. It wasn't necessary. The door is locked and she's handcuffed to the table." He pushed his glasses up once more. "She's quite detained at the moment, I assure you."

Rhythimi started to panic. "Oh god, you fools!" She suddenly blurted out, pulling at her hair. "I've seen her slip out of handcuffs a dozen times! She could bust through that locked door easily!"

Everyone in the room widened their eyes in shock, but they barely had any time to properly react before the automatic doors to the Conference Room slid open. High heels clicked as the thief dressed in her black jumpsuit strutted into the room with a determined look on her face.

Rena.

"You didn't seriously think these would hold me, did you?" Rena chuckled darkly to herself, balancing the handcuffs on the tip of her finger.

"Stop right there!" Sven lunged forward to grab her again, but Rena was quicker.  
She grabbed ahold of his arm and flipped the larger, muscular man right onto his back effortlessly. "Hey...OW!"

Rena pressed her heeled boot onto his chest, pinning him down. "Would you stop attacking me already!?" She sighed in exasperation. "Look, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."

Sven stared up at Rena curiously as she took her boot off of him and offered him help up. He cautiously grabbed her hand, and she pulled him back up to his feet. "Uh, thanks...?"

"Anytime." She winked at the cowboy Ranger as she walked forwards, leaving him momentarily stunned. Everyone parted ways to the sides of the room as Rena walked up to Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings, confused as to what she was doing. "You're going after Dim Sun?" Erma's head nod confirmed her suspicions. Rena placed her hands on her hips, staring at the Chairperson very determined. "I want in."

Everyone in the room just blinked once, twice.

...huh?

"What!? NO WAY!" Keith interjected, stepping in-between Rena and his two superiors. "She's a thief and a liar! She can't be trusted!"

Rena bit down on the inside of her cheek to swallow her feelings when she looked into Keith's angry eyes. "Why not? We have a common enemy: Dim Sun. We may as well team up to take them down."

Erma pushed Keith aside and approached Rena, eyeing her curiously. She _knew_ something was different about her. "Now, what could you possibly have to gain by taking them down? Didn't you once work for them?" She quirked an eyebrow, staring at her questionably.

Rena sighed, relaxing her whole body. "I may be a thief and a grifter who's accustomed to lying, but I'm not lying when I say this." She looked around the room at everyone, lingering her gaze on Keith a few seconds longer than anyone else she looked at. "I was lied to. Just like you, I was deceived."

Hastings just scoffed as he joined Erma by her side. "You were lied to? How so?"

Rena bitterly crossed her arms over her chest. "I was told that I was stealing back a scientist's invention from Joseph Dazzle, who had stolen it from him and taken credit for the invention."

"That's a lie!" Keith lunged forward, glaring at Rena angrily. "My father would never stoop so low to do something like that! He may be an ass, but at least he's honorable!"

She gritted her teeth as she glared back at the red-head she still cared for despite everything. "Well I know that now." Rena turned back to the Professor and Chairperson. "My job was to befriend Keith in order to steal the blueprints back, which I did. Regrettably..." She muttered that last part, but regardless of that, everyone heard it.

"Regrettably?" Keith blinked, staring at her curiously. He angrily gritted his teeth and grabbed onto Rena fiercely as he lost his temper again. "What the hell are you talking about!?"

Rena winced from the pain but put up with it, feeling as if she deserved it. "I was going to tell you everything at prom." She blinked back her tears as she stared up at Keith, trying to bottle up her broken heart's feelings and keep herself from crying in front of him. "I had backed out of the job at that point and I was going to tell all three of you everything." A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she choked down a sob.

Keith's eyes caught on fire as he shook her once. "That's a LIE!" He shouted at her viciously. "You never did any of those things! You went through with it and deceived me! You LIED to me, over and over!"

"I'M SORRY!" Rena sobbed, covering her mouth with the hand Keith wasn't restraining. "Ice showed up at prom and threatened to release my identity and alert Interpol of my location if I didn't go through with it! He blackmailed me and forced me to steal from you!" She shut her eyes in order to smother her tears. "I never wanted to betray you..."

Chairperson Erma quirked an eyebrow at that little tidbit of information.

"That doesn't fully explain why you would go so far as to ask us for help to get your revenge." Professor Hastings looked at her questionably. He rested his hands on his cane as he glared over at Keith. "Keith, release her."

Keith reluctantly released his grip on Rena, and Sven pushed him back a little to keep him away from her.

Rena followed her gaze up from the floor and over to Chairperson Erma. "They planned to double cross me from the beginning. When I showed up at the air strip to trade the blueprint for the money, they shot me and flew off in a helicopter with both my money and the blueprint." She balled up her fists angrily, surging with betrayal. "They left me there to bleed out and die." She turned to Chairperson Erma with a look of remorse. "Look, I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm just asking to let me give you a reason to."

When Chairperson Erma looked into her determined blue eyes, she could tell this young girl was telling her the truth. You see, Erma had a little superpower of her own.

She could always tell when someone was lying.

"Very well then." Chairperson Erma nodded her head. "Welcome to the team."

Rena was about to smile when Sven and Keith both started to argue with the higher-ups. The whole room was filled with shouts and interjections; everyone was against letting Rena help but Erma.

"WHAT!? NO!"

"NO WAY IN HELL!"

"I'LL NEVER WORK WITH HER!"

"I WON'T WORK ALONGSIDE SOMEONE I CAN'T TRUST!"

"ENOUGH." Chairperson Erma raised her voice as she silenced the room with the sound of her cane slamming on the floor. "My decision is final."

Although both Sven and Keith were completely furious about Rena joining the team, they both bowed their heads out of respect for Chairperson Erma. "Yes ma'am..."

"Hmm." Hastings looked at Rena curiously for a brief moment before turning to Erma once more. "I will respect your decision, Erma. Perhaps she will be of some use."

"Uh, hell yeah she will." Wendy laughed incredulously. "You guys have seen what she's capable of." She looked over at Rena with a reassuring smile. "I may not like you so far based on what I've seen you do, but that doesn't mean I don't respect you for what you're doing to help us right now."

Rena simply just blinked her eyes in astonishment. "Oh... Thanks."

"Let's get down to business." Hastings gained the attention of the room once more as he stepped right up to Rena. "You refused to speak a word in the interrogation room for reasons I don't even comprehend. Now, if you expect me to trust you enough to treat you as one of my Top Rangers here, I expect you to tell your story."

Rena stared down at the floor in shame. "I didn't want to tell you what I know, because I was afraid you would either believe me and try to take on Dim Sun on your own, or you would think I was a crazy conspiracy theorist and turn me in to the cops..."

Hastings quirked a quizzical eyebrow at the girl. "Young lady, we would do no such thing. I'll have you know, the only reason we handcuffed you in the first place was to keep you from escaping." He crossed his arms and stared at her seriously. "We were not detaining you until Interpol arrived, because we never called them."

Rena didn't even know what to say as she widened her eyes in astonishment. "You...didn't call them? Why...?"

"Because I asked him not to." Chairperson Erma got a firm grip on her cane as she leveled her tired gaze with Rena. "I can always tell when a person is lying, and everything you said was true. You gave me no reason not to trust you." She held up her hand to silence Keith as he motioned forwards to say something. "Even if there are others in this room with their own reasons to not believe a word you say."

Rena got this warm feeling in her chest when she saw that look in Chairperson's eyes: it was unmistakable. That look she was giving Rena right now was the very same look Keith used to give her back when they were still friends.

Faith.

"Alright, I'll tell you everything I know." Rena nodded her head anxiously, finally ready to meet these Rangers halfway. "First thing's first..." Rena turned on her heel to Professor Hastings. "I hear you've been having trouble getting into that data disc with the blueprints on it?"

Hastings blinked at her owlishly. "Don't tell me computer hacking is one of the other talents you have listed on your resume."

Rena smirked confidently with her eyes closed. "I can hack anything as long as I have a computer."

Hastings rose an eyebrow at the girl before handing over the very same item she had once stolen a year before. "Be my guest."

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Rena wheeled around in her office chair inside the Ranger Union's research lab. "According to our combined information, Team Dim Sun stole the Shadow Crystal, an object that could easily control the minds of Pokemon within a five hundred foot radius if projected right, and you guys have no idea where it is or what they're doing with it?" Rena slapped her forehead and sunk back into her chair. "Ugh... This is ridiculous."

"Hey, it's not like you know much either!" Wendy bit the inside of her cheek, crossing her arms at Rena. "We're doing the best we can with what we've got."

"It has to have something to do with the Incredible Machine..." Sven pressed his index finger to his lips, musing out loud.

Rena stared at Sven curiously. "What the hell is the Incredible Machine...?"

Hastings shifted awkwardly in his standing position. "Well... We aren't exactly sure. It's something Dim Sun has been building for awhile, and the plans for that something are on that data disc." Hastings lifted his cane to point at the large monitor behind Rena that appeared to be running through sequences of computer codes.

"Well, I already told you: we have to give my algorithm some time to get past all of the security and firewalls on this disc." Rena looked over her shoulder at the hack-in-progress. "This could take awhile."

"In the meantime..." Wendy rose her voice and gained the attention of the room. "We should put all of our cards on the table and compare notes if we want to take Dim Sun down."

"Good idea." Rena nodded her head in agreement. "I'm still out of the loop for most of the things you guys did in the past few months because I got booted from your system and I couldn't hack anymore information from you guys..." Rena awkwardly paused when Hastings just gave her a look.

"That was you who hacked into our computer system...!?" He furrowed his eyes at her in frustration.

Rena just sweatdropped as she tried to ignore the old man giving her a stare down. "Er... Anyways. Let's do what Wendy said already."

"Fine..." Hastings exhaled and regained his composure, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Despite all of Dim Sun's advances that have been leaving us behind, I do have some good news. Significant advances have been made in deciphering the diary. What we deciphered proves that our hypothesis is correct: the three colored gems do have an effect on the Shadow Crystal."

Rena blinked at everyone in the room owlishly. "Uh, I'm a little lost here. What gems...?"

Chairperson Erma nudged Murph, Rhythimi, and an Operator named Linda over to a dark shard sample in a display case that rested in the middle of their circle of people. "These gems, dear."

Simultaneously, each person's chest exploded in a bright colorful light. Something draped around Murph's neck glowed bright blue, Linda was glowing red, and Rhythimi was glowing bright yellow.

Rena gave the three of them the weirdest look ever. "What the hell!? Did you guys fall into a vat of radioactive waste and turn into neon-colored freaks or something?"

"Heavens no, dear." Chairperson Erma chuckled at Rena's astounded face. "Look at the measured power of the dark shard here." She pointed to what almost looked like a pressure thermometer. "See how the power has been dropped to zero? That's because of the pendants these three are wearing."

Murph pulled out a blue teardrop pendant and showed it to Rena. "They're called the Tears of Princes, and they're derived from an old Almia legend about three princes trying to save their father, the king, from the darkness that consumed his heart caused by two of his sons fighting over who would get the throne."

Linda showed Rena her flame shaped red pendant. "The King banished Prince Red to Boyleland, Prince Yellow to the Haruba Desert, and Prince Blue got to stay in Almia Castle because he never wanted the throne in the first place."

"It was the love in their hearts that cancelled out their father's darkness." Rhythimi admired her yellow crescent shaped pendant with a smile on her face. "Legend has it that their father's darkness took the form of the Shadow Crystal, but his sons hearts became these three gems."

"Although, these are just shards of the real thing." Hastings added firmly. "We were able to retrieve the three gems from their rumored locations, however, we traded the yellow gem with Dim Sun in order to get Wendy back from them."

"They kidnapped you because of some gem...?" Rena eyed Wendy curiously.

The greenette Ranger just sighed and hung her head low. "Yeah. That's how I hurt my arm." She held up her sling a little for Rena to see.

"So we just have the red and blue gems now." Chairperson Erma concluded, a little disappointed. "Even without the third gem, we will still cut out two thirds of the Shadow Crystal's power with what we've got."

**Bing!**

Everyone turned their attention to the computer screen, and Rena's fingertips immediately started to run across the keyboard. "Ah, looks like my algorithm worked. Now I just have to pull up the file, and..."

...

When Rena opened up the file that had been downloaded onto the data disc, all anyone could do was stare at the screen in complete and utter horror.

"Huh?" Keith blinked once, twice. He _had_ to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "This shape... I've seen this shape somewhere."

"This can't be...?" Wendy hesitated to finish her sentence, not really wanting to.

"I'd say it might be." Sven fiddled with the brim of his cowboy hat.

"This is Altru Tower!" Chairperson inhaled sharply from shock, staring at the screen with widened eyes. "It's utterly horrifying! Altru Tower is the Incredible Machine...?" She turned to face the others in a moment of panic. "And it will be completed in just two days!"

"This... This is not good." Rena bit her lip awkwardly.

"Take a close look at the blueprint." Hastings calmly walked over to Rena and the computer screen. "See? At the top of the tower, overlooking all of Almia." He pointed to a peculiar shape resting at the top of Altru Tower. "That object at the top... It's probably the giant Shadow Crystal." Hastings pressed his index finger firmly to his lips and stared down at the floor. "So, this is what it's about... Give me a moment to think."

Isaac fell completely silent as he dropped to his knees, staring at that computer screen. "This...is all my fault..."

"What!? Of course it's not!" Rhythimi flew down to his side and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Isaac, you did nothing wrong."

"No, that's not true..." The mushroom boy shook his head defiantly. "Mr. Kincaid gave me a project to work on after I joined Dim Sun, and he... He said it was to help Pokemon and people form a deeper connection..."

Rhythimi looked back at the computer screen with the Incredible Machine blueprint, then over at Isaac once more as the truth dawned on her suddenly. "Isaac, don't tell me you..."

"Finished it." He stood up from the floor suddenly, startling everyone. "I finished designing the Incredible Machine, and that must have been why they tried to kidnap me today... They needed me to put the finishing touches on it."

Rena looked over at Keith longingly, hoping he would just look over in her direction just once. Even if it was just for a second.

And then, the red-head turned and looked over at Rena despite his hate for her, and the two connected and had their own mental conversation, where they both thought the very same thing:

_"We're in trouble, and we're the only ones who can do something about it..."_

Hastings slammed his cane down on the ground. "Enough of this moping. What's done is done, and now we must form a plan." He shuffled over to the computer and began reading information off of the blueprint. "The tower is 334 meters tall, which is just shy of 1,100 feet. From the top of the tower, you can see out to all corners of the Almia region. But it's not an observation deck for tourists or anything of the sort. It had to be that tall to gain control over every Pokemon in Almia. The Shadow Crystal from the Chroma Ruins is set atop of the tower, and a strong electrical feed to the crystal unleashes its power. It will gain control over all Pokemon within an approximately 500-mile radius. The Incredible Machine's power is equal to roughly eight million Gigaremo Units. Halfway up the tower is the centralized control room, which allows control of individual Pokemon with unique signals for each one. It also has approximately three hundred times more commands than the Miniremo." Hastings turned to the crowd and placed his hand approvingly on Rena's shoulder. "These facts emerged from Rena sharing information with us. Combined with our own data, we have a clearer picture of what we are facing. Kincaid has misled Isaac all this time with false promises about the tower. So, we come to the question: what is their objective? The answer, we found written in Brighton Hall's Diary." Hastings paused and looked up from the floor at Chairperson Erma. "Blake Hall is aiming for world domination."

"Blake Hall is aiming to take over the world!?" A burly man Rena recognized as Vientown Base Leader Barlow looked like his eyes were about to explode from how big they were right now.

"The Incredible Machine can supposedly control all the Pokemon in Almia. If that's so, world domination doesn't sound all that far-fetched..." Sven awkwardly scratched at the back of his head, not even liking what he was saying.

Wendy shivered a little. "This is terrifying news..."

Suddenly, the ground began to violently shake, and everyone was thrown from their positions. Rena fell right out of her chair and fell flat on her ass, while everyone was knocked off of their feet and did just about the same. The sudden tremor was over after just a few seconds, but everyone in the room was still left startled.

"...They must have run the power to the Incredible Machine as a test." Isaac groaned as he began to pick himself up off of the floor. "They only turned it on for an instant to monitor its operation. Judging by the noise just now, however, the test was a failure. I imagine they haven't been able to do the final adjustments to the program, because I was supposed to do them." He dusted himself off and quickly scooped Rhythimi up off the floor, helping her regain her balance. "However, even if the final adjustments aren't made, the tower will still operate. Its power will be reduced to about half, but it will work. That's how the Incredible Machine was designed."

"Hmm... Even at half power, it can wreak havoc far and wide." Hastings firmly got a grip on his cane and tapped it on the ground. "All right, everyone. Look sharp! Let me announce our plan." He cleared his throat once before he began his debrief. "Extensive analysis of the blueprints makes one thing abundantly clear: it is virtually impossible to shut off the tower's electrical circuits. That leaves us with one option: we must do something about the Shadow Crystal itself atop the tower." Hastings started to pace back and forth as he was thinking it through. "However, infiltrating the tower will be an undertaking fraught with danger. What, then, can we do?" He stopped and looked over at me and the three Top Rangers with a sharp look of determination. "There remains but one course action: mount an assault on the tower from the outside." He nodded his head firmly to reassure us of his opinion. "Do you recall how the three pendants shone just a moment ago? And how they turned the dark shard completely transparent? That is what we will attempt on top of the tower! For that, ideally, we should have the red, blue, and yellow gems together, however..." He ran his hand through his short beard thoughtfully. "With only the two we have, we should severely weaken the tower's power. Its output should be cut by nearly seventy percent if we succeed."

"Alright, Professor. How do we get the two gems to the Shadow Crystal atop Altru Tower?" Sven crossed his arms with a smirk on his face, already liking where this was going.

"Are you suggesting we should get my Staraptor's help?" The largest grin began to creep up on Wendy's face when she saw where the professor was going with this.

"Precisely!" Professor Hastings snapped in her direction. "You will live up to your nickname as the Flying Ranger! Two Top Rangers are to each ride a Staraptor, carrying the Red or Blue Gem. They are to circle the tower and draw closer to the Shadow Crystal. The closer they get, the greater the gem's effect on the Shadow Crystal." He paused momentarily and resumed pacing once again. "Of course, that also increasingly exposes the Top Rangers to danger... For this important mission, I would like to call upon the best of our Top Rangers. The two that we have learned to take pride in: Sven and Wendy."

"Now you're talking. I've been longing for a mission like this." Sven punched the air before tipping his cowboy hat to Hastings.

"You can count on me! Flying is what I'm especially good at." Wendy smiled brightly at the professor. "I don't care if I'm injured or not: I am going through with this mission."

Barlow raised his hand just enough to catch the professor's attention. "We Area Rangers will concentrate on addressing the concerns of citizens."

"That's what I hoped to hear, Barlow. You're entrusted with that task." Hastings nodded his head to Barlow before turning to the burned diary up on a pedestal next to him. "Finally, we need a name for our operation..." He gently picked up the burned diary and stared at the cover as he spoke. "We shall borrow the name of the writer of that charred diary. We shall call it... Operation Brighton! All right, everyone! Let Operation Brighton commence!"

* * *

**I'm literally falling asleep as I write this because I'm sick, exhausted...and...**

**Read, review, and...*passes out from exhaustion***


	35. Chapter 35: Repudiation

**_Repudiation: denial of the truth or the validity of something._**

**Ladies, grab your chocolate and security blankets, because this chapter I _guarentee_ will make you cry.**

**And guys, grab that one stuffed animal from your childhood that I _know_ you didn't have the heart to get rid of when you got older. You'll need it.**

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

"Why are you drinking coffee this late at night...?" Wendy shot her a quizzical look with that quirky face of hers. "Won't that just keep you up?"

"No." Rena answered firmly as she brought the mug up to her lips and took a sip of her black coffee. "Caffeine has no effect on me."

Rena was sitting in the break room at the table with Sven and Wendy, and Keith was puttering around behind them with the coffee machine. He had remained silent and refused to speak to Rena the whole time, but Wendy and Sven had been curious to know more about her and were asking her all sorts of questions. And by Wendy and Sven, I really mean Wendy was asking her questions.

"So..." Wendy began to smile curiously as she leaned her head in her hand. "Did you really get shot?" She was almost doubtful it really happened as she looked at Rena with a scornful look, but her interest was piqued.

"Wen'." Sven warned in his even, monotone voice, using his short pet name for Wendy to address her.

"I was just wondering..." She almost pouted a little at his disapproval. "Come on, Rena! Let's see that battle scar of yours." She leaned across the table a little bit closer to Rena.

Rena almost looked amused as she shrugged her shoulders. She immediately regretted doing that once she felt her ribs stretch painfully. "Alright. You asked for it."

Luckily, she was wearing a sports bra underneath. Otherwise, it would have been much more awkward than it already was when she abruptly stood up and unzipped the top half of her jumpsuit, then ripped it open to reveal her chest and the large, jagged scar that ran from her side to the middle of her stomach. It was pinkish-red with a thick white line running down the middle of it. The scar was _easily_ six inches long, and her skin had attempted to heal over it naturally. Attempted.

"Bye bye bikinis." Rena cracked a joke in order to conceal the fact that she was internally cringing every time she moved, looking down at the horrendous scar on her stomach.

Wendy seemed absolutely fascinated with the scar and unbothered by how awkward this whole situation was, Sven just stared ahead in shock, and Keith turned around so fast to avert his eyes that he slammed his head right into the open refrigerator door and clothes-lined himself.

Rena zipped her top back up again and sat down a little more carefully this time. "Satisfied?"

"That is one ugly scar..." Wendy scrunched up her nose a little. "That really looked like it hurt!"

"Oh, it did." Rena glowered at nothing in particular. "It also didn't help that I had to rely on someone with minimal medical training to patch me up, since I couldn't go to a hospital."

Sven awkwardly cleared his throat to catch the girl's attention as Keith slowly and groggily got up from the floor behind him. "Anyways... We should probably discuss the mission tomorrow."

Oh yeah. Rena had almost forgotten about their mission tomorrow at Altru's celebratory ball.

Altru Tower, Dim Sun's "Incredible Machine," would be completed in two days time. However, tomorrow Altru was celebrating their success with a huge ball being held in the bottom floor of the tower and just outside in Altru Park.

Their mission was to infiltrate Altru Tower in two days and shut it down before Dim Sun used the Shadow Crystal to control the minds of every Pokemon in Almia, but in order to do that, they needed to get access to the building and figure out a way to dodge security as much as possible to help buy them time.

And that's where tomorrow's mission came in.

* * *

_Earlier that night..._

_"Our plan is to have Sven and Wendy fly overtop with the two gems we have, and use them to cut the Shadow Crystal's power by 70%." Professor finished up his speech confidently. "Does that sound good to everyone?"_

_Rena was sitting by the computer, hacking away at the blueprint of Altru Tower. "That won't work."_

_"Why not?" Chairperson Erma's interest was piqued as she turned to look at Rena. _

_"Take a look at this." Rena slammed her finger down on one button, and something once unseen around the top of the tower on the blueprint suddenly appeared. "It looks like they have three barriers set up on the outside of the Shadow Crystal to prevent such a plan."_

_"Then we attack from the inside." Keith smirked arrogantly as he slammed his fist into his open hand. _

_"Great idea!" Hastings agreed. "While Sven and Wendy circle the top with the two gems we have, you, Keith, can infiltrate the tower and disable the barriers from the inside."_

_"And you can take Rena with you." Chairperson Erma added on in a warning tone. _

_The joy of being assigned such a fantastic mission quickly drained from his face when Chairperson Erma said that. "I don't need her." Keith crossed his arms and turned his head away. _

_"You will need her to help you break in and dodge the security system." Chairperson Erma raised an eyebrow at him, unpleased with his childish behavior. "She's the only once capable enough to help navigate you through the tower, Keith."_

_Rena bit her lip uncomfortably as she looked between Keith and the chairperson. "Look, I don't want to be any trouble..."_

_"Nonsense." Chairperson Erma silenced her. "You wanted to aid us in taking down Dim Sun, and so you shall."_

_Keith wanted to protest her decision some more, but he knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. Erma trusted Rena for some unknown reason, and since her mind was made up, there was no changing it. _

_Rena smiled a little before standing up and joining the others by the door. "So, how do you guys plan on getting us into the tower?" She pointed to herself and the other three Rangers standing at her side: Keith, Sven, and Wendy. _

_"You're the expert." Chairperson Erma smiled all-knowingly at her with the corners of her lips. "What do you need?"_

_Rena smiled a little bit at the feeling of being in charge, and she stepped up to the table with Erma and the professor, placing her hands on the table with Altru tower's blueprint, beginning to form a plan. _

_"First thing's first..." Rena started her plan. "I'll need an access card to get into all levels of the building. Next, we'll have to hack and steal any passwords for doors, elevators... Any obstacle that stands in our way, really." She paused for a moment to press her finger to her lips. "Hmm... Lastly, I think access to the Incredible Machine's computer control system should cover it."_

_Isaac nearly wanted to faint at Rena's 'shopping list.' "Are you serious? You do realize how difficult it will be to obtain those things, right...?"_

_"Of course." Rena stood up straight and turned to look at Isaac. Her gaze did not waver, and she then pressed her finger to her lips and began to think. "If only there was a crowded, public place we could go to that had Altru's employees all together... That way, I could grift them for their security badges."_

_Everyone around the room just sweatdropped and looked at each other simultaneously, averting Rena's gaze. _

_"...what?" Rena shot them a quizzical look, feeling left out. "What do you guys know that I don't?"_

_"Altru is holding a ball tomorrow night to celebrate their grand opening, and we were all invited to it." Professor Hastings almost laughed at how ridiculous this plan was starting to sound. "Does that work for you?"_

_Rena's lips stretched into a joyful smile. "Rhythimi..." She turned over her shoulder to look over at the blonde. "You don't still have that pink dress you once tried to get me to wear back when we were in Ranger School, do you?"_

_The blonde rose an eyebrow at her curiously. "...the same pink dress you refused to wear because you thought you'd be busting out of it?"_

_Rena snapped her fingers and pointed to her. "That's the one."_

* * *

"I still don't see why I have to bring her as my plus one..." Keith grumbled to Sven and Wendy, still unhappy about this arrangement.

Sven sighed, having been over this with him a thousand times now. "Because I'm taking Wendy as my date, Isaac and Rhythimi are going together, and you're the only single guy left here who could take her and not look suspicious." Sven looked up at the red-head behind him just under the brim of his red cowboy hat.

"I have to stay under the radar, that way Dim Sun won't recognize me..." Rena started to add onto Sven's reasoning, but Keith quickly cut her off bitterly.

"I didn't ask you." He barked at her with a harsh glare, dismissing her look of shock and hurt feelings immediately.

Rena bit her lip and slowly sunk back into her chair. "Right..."

"Er, anyways..." Wendy awkwardly broke the tension between the two. "Isaac is still in the lab developing the card slider you'll need for tomorrow night. In the meantime, you should probably turn in for the night and get some rest for our mission tomorrow."

Keith and Rena both cringed again when Wendy mentioned turning in for the night.

It took all Sven had to not bust out laughing. "Oh yeah, that's right. Didn't Rena get assigned to stay in your room, red?"

Keith dismissed the dumb nickname referring to his hair and bitterly began turning off the coffee maker and collecting his things from the break room. "It's because I'm the only one at the Union with their own room, since I don't have a partner."

_"This is going to be awkward..." _Rena screamed inside her mind, almost cursing herself a little.

"Well." Wendy bitterly pressed her lips together awkwardly. "Have fun you two!" She leapt up from her seat and grabbed Sven's hand before gently tugging him towards the door. "Come on, Sven. Let's go check on Isaac's progress."

"Alright."

**Ker-chunk**

That left Keith and Rena alone now in the break room. With each other. Unsupervised.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Rena slowly stood up from her chair and walked over towards the sink where Keith was washing out his coffee mug. As she began to wash out the one she used, she tried to apologize to him. "Keith, I just want you to know that I'm sor..."

"Save it." Keith shut off the water and put his mug back, then turned on his heel and marched out of there.

Rena watched him go, and even though she was sad, she was also relieved.

Why was she relieved? Well...

"AUGH...!" Rena collapsed to the floor in pain, clutching her rib cage and shutting her eyes tight as she endured the intense, suffocating, physical strain she was feeling. Breathing hurt.

She had been putting on a tough act for hours now, pretending that she sustained no injuries today, but that wasn't the case at all. They had loosely patched up the gash on her right arm when they took her to the interrogation room, but they didn't know that Rena had sustained a few bruised ribs.

"D-damn..." She coughed harshly and immediately regretted it after. "I better not have cracked one of these..."

Outside the door of the break room, Keith pressed himself against one of the walls, intensely listening in. He honestly wasn't surprised that she got hurt pretty badly today and tried to hide it. He always knew that she was too stubborn a person to admit her weaknesses, or ask for help.

...well, at least he thought he knew that about her. Looks like that bad personality trait of hers wasn't amongst the long list of lies she told him over the past couple years.

So, he had two options: go back in there and help her, or go back to his room.

Keith stared down at the floor, then back inside the room at Rena crippled in pain and sprawled out on the floor.

It was pretty obvious which one he would pick.

* * *

Rena pulled herself up with the help of the countertop and staggered her way over to the door, and she walked out just in time to see Keith round the corner and disappear down the hallway. She followed him back to what was now 'their' room temporarily, and she paused briefly before entering.

Rena straightened her posture and sucked her pain into her lungs, almost holding her breath. She slowly turned the doorknob and walked inside, and she was greeted with the chill air from the window air conditioner unit. The whole room was a light blue, and the pieces of furniture were all shades of brown. To her left was Keith rummaging through some papers at his desk, which was stationed right in front of his bed and just before the closet. To Rena's right was an un-touched bed with some of Rhythimi's clothes folded and stacked on top of it, which she assumed the blonde had left for her to use. Mightyena was laying down on it with the bottom of his jaw smooshed comfortably into the comforter, and he wagged his tail when she walked in. Buizel was on Keith's bed, flashing Mightyena untrusting looks occasionally. Just in front of Rena's bed was the bathroom, and before she ran straight for that, she turned to look at Keith.

Keith sensed she was looking at him while he worked on some of his paperwork at his desk, and he couldn't handle ignoring her any longer.

The red-head turned slightly to glance at Rena for a brief moment, and they shared an awkward second of eye-contact. Silence fell over the two, and neither of them dared to say anything.

Keith quickly turned back to his work, and Rena continued to pretend she was fine as she casually walked over to the bathroom.

She was so anxious to get out of his sight that she almost slammed the bathroom door behind her as she slowly slid down it.

Ow, did her ribs hurt...

She crawled over to the cabinets under the sink and started digging through them noisily for a first aid kit, which she found within seconds. She pulled herself back up and unzipped her jumpsuit, taking it off completely and folding it up before setting it up on one of the storage shelves built into the yellow walls. Now all that she had on was her sports bra that came down to the top of her stomach and her shorts that she wore underneath her jumpsuit. With one last painful boost of strength, Rena hoisted herself up onto the counter top and sat in front of the mirror.

First, she addressed the wound on her arm. The gauze they had put on it earlier had blood soaked all the way through the other side, and the cut wasn't getting any better. Rena ripped off the old gauze and medical tape, and she ran the wound under some cold water in the sink. She gritted her teeth harshly when it stung. She then repeated the same step with some peroxide that was in the first aid kit, and she had to bite down on her tongue to keep Keith from hearing her scream. After she cleaned up the wound, she applied some pressure with a new patch of gauze and secured it on her arm with some medical tape.

Now, the ribs would be tricky.

What could she really do to treat these besides a month or two of bed rest? Pretty much nothing.

Rena decided she would bind her waist with an ace bandage to restrict some of her movement without making it too painful, and then she would slip out to the break room in the middle of the night to steal some ice packs she could use.

Much easier said than done.

She wasn't able to pull the ace bandage all the way around her waist, because every time she tried, she felt a sharp pain stab her side.

Rena gasped for air and hunched over the sink, just now noticing she had been holding her breath. The ace bandage fell to the floor, and she just couldn't get it around her.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

Rena froze and tensed up when someone knocked on the bathroom door, and she knew exactly who it was, too.

"I'm coming in." Keith sighed as he started to twist the doorknob and push it open.

"Wait, I'm not..." Rena turned around to stop him, but it was too late: Keith had already opened the door and walked right in. "...dressed." She sweatdropped as her cheeks flared up brightly.

Keith looked her up and down once before shrugging his shoulders. "I've seen you wear less."

Rena tried as hard as she could to keep her face from turning the color of his hair as Keith closed the door behind him and walked closer to her, bending down to pick up the ace bandage.

"What are you doing...?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, trying to calm her nerves by distracting herself.

"You're hopeless." Keith sighed and shut his eyes as he started to wrap the bandage around her waist. "You always were too stubborn to ask for help."

"Because I don't need any." Rena bitterly tore her eyes from him as she tried not to shudder every time his fingers accidentally brushed her skin.

"Yeah, because you were totally doing just fine on your own in here." He stopped what he was doing and stared directly into her eyes emotionlessly with his cold, red eyes.

All Rena could do was make an audible gulp. "...okay, so maybe this part was a two-person job."

"Stubborn ass." Keith muttered under his breath as he slapped the end of the bandage to seal it up.

"Augh!" Rena hunched over from his slap and coughed hard, feeling the stinging pain grow more sharp.

Keith ignored her agony and straightened her back up again before addressing the wound on her arm. He effortlessly ripped off the gauze fast and painfully, causing Rena to hiss from agony.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!?" Rena slapped his arm away from her, cursing her own words when she felt the gash start to bleed again.

"I'm stitching you up, dumbass." Keith returned her bitter attitude with his own, and they went back and forth like two snobby children who didn't get along.

Rena gritted her teeth as Keith stitched up the wound with the supplies he had in the first aid kit, and it honestly hurt like hell. Although, she'd at least be able to start healing now.

"You need to rest up." Keith scolded her with a blank stare. "We can't afford to have you injured tomorrow at that ball, and for the mission the next day. If you keep pretending you're fine and don't ask for help when you're hurt, you're putting us all in danger. Not just yourself." He gripped her shoulders hard and stared into her cold, dead eyes. "We're counting on you to help us bring down Dim Sun, so why don't you start acting like you actually care and listen to me for once? You were always so great at that, right?" Keith threw a pile of clothes into her arms carelessly and stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Rena standing there.

"Wait, Keith!" Rena quickly slipped the blue dress over her head and chased him back into the bedroom. "Keith, please, I really want to talk to you..."

"About what, exactly?" Keith sharply turned around and scoffed at her mere existence. "That you're not who you said you were, and you're actually some professional thief who never actually gave a damn about me?" He carelessly threw his hands into the air before letting them fall back down to his sides again.

Rena shifted her weight from one leg to the other impatiently. "Okay, well you got me there, but I was telling the truth when I said I really did care about you guys!"

"Didn't seem like you did during the union raid." He crossed his arms and stared at her scornfully, judging her every move in this chess game.

"I had to make it seem like that to them so they wouldn't come after you guys..." Rena stepped closer to Keith and took his hands in hers, holding them up to her chest as she looked up into his eyes. "Keith, you have to believe me. I've been protecting you more than you could possibly know."

Keith jerked his hands from her grip and shook his head. "You've gotta be kidding me. You honestly expect me to fall for your bullshit again!?"

"Keith, it's true!" Rena almost whimpered from how upset and frustrated she was. "Back in your father's office a year ago, when I was stealing the blueprint, everything I told you was a lie. I had to break your heart so you wouldn't come after me and get yourself killed..." Rena looked up into his eyes apologetically, praying that he would believe her.

"You're lying." Keith glared at her harshly.

"No, I'm serious!" Rena worriedly waved her hands back and forth, trying to prove her innocence. "I'm not lying this time!"

Keith leaned forwards to sneer at her. "And how exactly do you expect me to believe that?"

He just stood there and watched as the look of crushed hope came up on Rena's face, and she looked so upset. Rena didn't even have a response for that, and all she could do not to cry was to stare up at him helplessly.

"Forget it." Keith waved her off, storming over to the door.

Rena sniffled once before quickly turning to watch Keith walk away. "Do you still love me?"

...

Rena watched as Keith froze halfway through turning the knob, and his back stiffened. He looked so tense, and he stayed quiet and unmoving in front of the door.

"...do you?" Rena blinked back her tears, taking a step closer. She had the tiniest shred of hope left thanks to his hesitance. "Because I have never stopped loving you."

Keith visibly flinched when she said that.

Rena had never, NEVER told Keith that she loved him. Well, Keith always assumed that her feelings for him were the same as his feelings for her, but she had never actually said it.

Keith turned to look at her over his shoulder before walking right out the door. "I don't even know you."

**SLAM!**

Rena's lip quivered for a second before her hands flew up to her mouth to smother her sob. She wanted to stop right there and cry her eyes out, but she wasn't about to give up on him.

"Keith, wait!"

Mightyena motioned to chase after her as he watched his master rush out the door, but something told him this was something she needed to do alone. He slowly turned his head to look at Buizel over on Keith's bed, and he was surprised to see that Buizel was just as shaken up as he was after seeing their masters fight. They both exchanged a mutual look of sadness before tearing their gazes from each other and going back to their own business.

* * *

"Keith!" Rena stopped outside the door into the hallway, and she sighed out of discouragement when Keith was nowhere to be seen.

Great... Where did he go?

Rena turned to walk to the front room that was filled with Ranger Union employees, and right when she was going to try and look for Keith, Rena spotted her saving grace:

Rhythimi.

"Rhythimi!" Rena ran over to the Operator talking to a few other employees, trying to catch her attention. "Have you seen Keith?" She sniffled once and tried to put the cap back on her sadness, not hiding it very well.

Rhythimi disregarded the several other people chatting loudly in the room as she turned to Rena. "Haven't you already hurt him enough?"

Rena almost forgot that Rhythimi was mad at her too when she felt that stab to her heart. "Look, Rhythimi, I'm really sorry, and I..."

Rhythimi didn't even want to hear it, and she slowly began to move her arm back.

**SLAP!**

The whole room stopped chatting and turned to look at Rhythimi and Rena in quiet awe.

Rena slowly moved her hand up to cup her cheek that had Rhythimi's red hand-print stamped on it, and she just stared at the blonde in shock.

"How DARE you." Rhythimi balled up her fists and threw them down to her sides, gritting her teeth as she glared ahead at the person who had hurt her the most. "You think you can just waltz back into my life and act like nothing happened!?"

Rena shook her head. "No, that's not..."

"Shut up!" Rhythimi bitterly cut her off, narrowing her eyes at the brunette. "You played me... I trusted you with all of my secrets and feelings, and all you ever did was lie..." Tears started to well up in Rhythimi's eyes, and she embraced them proudly and didn't hide her pain. "You were the best friend I ever had, and you turned out to be a lying con artist who used me just to get to one of my closest friends." Her lip quivered slightly as she shook with anger. "No one hurts my friends, and no one hurts me." She turned to leave, but she stopped with her back facing Rena to say one more thing. "I would prefer to re-live my experience with Kim as my fake friend rather than ever having met you."

As Rhythimi stormed off and headed for another floor of the Ranger Union, Rena slowly looked around her at all of the people who were staring. When they caught her looking at them in the dead silence, one by one, they all began resuming their activities.

"She...slapped me." Rena slid her hand off of her cheek and stared at it for a good while.

She was upset before, but now...?

Rena couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and she bolted for the escalator. She was going to the rooftop to cry, and to think.

Rhythimi had never slapped anyone before, and Rena hurt her so bad that she pushed her to resort to violence.

She never thought she hurt Rhythimi that much, and now that she knew, she just missed her best friend even more.

* * *

Keith slammed his fist into the Harmony Tree for what felt like the thousandth time now, releasing his pent-up frustration.

He had been out on the rooftop for the past half hour, punching the large tree that grew on top of the Ranger Union and screaming his anger into the starry night sky.

He was so _sure_ that he hated her, and that she wasn't to be trusted, but now? What was all this bullshit she was spitting about trying to switch sides!? Not only did he not know whether he could trust her or not, but he didn't even know who she was anymore.

Was she Rena, or was she Raux?

Or...both.

What if it's all just an act, and she's trying to double cross him again?

"DAMMIT!" Keith punched the gargantuan tree as hard as he could, not even budging it. All he succeeded in was making his knuckles start to bleed from all of the cuts and scrapes on them.

The door to the rooftop swung open, and Keith instinctively ducked under the shadow the Harmony Tree was casting to conceal himself from whoever came up here. Not many people knew about this spot up here, so who...?

Keith was surprised to see Rena come up here and head towards the ledge. _"The hell is she doing here...?" _He thought to himself, watching her every move quietly and invisibly.

Keith watched the former thief pace to the edge with her crippling movements. She motioned her hand to suddenly press onto the ledge as she breathed hot steam into the cold night. Slowly, her legs bent to stand up on the edge. Weights seemed to be pulling at each action harshly with each passing second. Rena's shoulders shuttered as her voice trembled with something. Was it regret?

It was starting to get really cloudy, and even though it was pitch-black outside, she could tell it was getting ready to rain.

"I don't know what to do anymore, father..." Rena placed her hands on the ledge and leaned forwards, staring up at the night sky. "I could really use your advice right about now..."

Keith watched as Rena talked to herself, a little curious to see what she would do when she thought she wasn't being watched.

Rena balled up her fists slowly and clenched her jaw before completely collapsing to her knees and bursting into tears.

Keith had never seen her cry like this before, or ever really.

...he actually felt a little bad. Her tears? They were his fault.

Keith ran his hands through his spiky hair, not sure whether he should be regretting how mean he was to her earlier and what he said...

Rena sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed. She cried so much that she thought she was surely dehydrated by now. Her sobs were so loud and so pained that they echoed through the the darkness and were echoed back with her same level of sadness. It was almost if her late father was watching from above and was trying to comfort her, but he couldn't.

Rena staggered up to her feet and pulled herself up to the ledge, and she stood on top of it, looking straight down at the ground that rested four stories below her.

She wiped away at her tears and sniffled, trying to regain her bearings. "It was out of my control, and all I did was hurt them when I was just trying to keep them all safe..." She hiccuped through her tears that just refused to go away. "Their pain... It's all my fault. And now, I have no one..." Her lip trembled as she shook when the cold wind blew through her hair. "I could jump from this roof right now and no one would miss me, or care..." She broke down into tears again, remaining standing on the ledge.

Keith was about to lunge forwards and grab her off the ledge before she did something stupid, but someone beat him to it.

"Get down here, child." Chairperson Erma gripped Rena by her waist and helped her off of the ledge, letting her take refuge under the umbrella she was holding.

"Chairperson Erma...?" Rena sniffled as she blinked back her shock. "What are you doing up here?"

"Stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life, apparently." Erma glanced at the ledge for a second, then looked back over at Rena. "I was looking for you because I hoped we could talk."

Rena almost scoffed at how ridiculous that sounded. "Why do you have so much faith in me?" She laughed as she pulled at her hair stressfully. "You don't even know me!"

"Maybe so." Erma studied her face for a moment with a serious look. "But like I told you once before, I can always tell when a person is lying to me. Except for one instance, you have told me nothing but the truth since you first arrived."

Rena was caught off guard that her cover had been blown, but she had to make sure Erma was right about which thing she said was the lie. "And what would that be, exactly...?"

Erma smirked as the rain started to pick up. "The reason you abandoned your friends and went through with the job? It wasn't because Ice threatened you on your prom night, was it?"

So she did know.

Rena sighed deeply and let her head fall into her hands, getting ready to confess the truth without knowing Keith was listening. "...yes. That may not have been the real reason I went through with it, but my story was true. That did happen. I just..." She tore her eyes away from Erma and looked down at the ground. "...left out the part that happened next."

Chairperson Erma knew she was right, but she didn't know what exactly had happened. "Alright. Then tell me what really happened."

Keith listened in closely as Rena nodded her head. "Well, it's just like I said..."

* * *

**(Rena's POV)**

_One year ago..._

_"I'm sorry, Ice!" I apologized again, truly sorry. "I just can't do this anymore! I said I'm sorry, but I just can't!"_

_"What do you mean you just can't!?" Ice glared at me, harshly yelling his words. "You were doing just fine before, so what possibly could have changed..." He slowed his speech and came to an immediate stop, then looked over at Rhythimi and Isaac dancing back inside the ballroom. "No... No, no way." He laughed like he was losing his mind as he redirected his gaze at me. "Don't tell me you've actually gone and made friends with these idiots for real!"_

_I was immediately on the defensive as I balled up my fists. "No! Of course not! I would never stoop so low!" I lied right through my teeth, but I had a feeling Ice wasn't buying that anymore. _

_Ice shoved me backwards a little with his palm. "You've grown soft, Raux. You were supposed to do this job for us. You can't just back out." He glared at me so confused that it seemed like he couldn't even believe that I would do something like this._

_I blinked back tears. "Ice, I... Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I QUIT." I turned to leave, but he gripped my arm and pulled me back again. _

_"You're not leaving until you go through with the job." He stared at me with his icy-blue eyes similar to my own that were filled with determination. _

_I just shook my head. "No. I refuse."_

_Ice let go of me and slumped his shoulders before hanging his head. All he could do was sigh. "Rena..."_

_"Ice, please. I beg you." I gripped onto his shoulders, staring at him with a determined look on my face. "Let me back out of this. I...I just can't do this to them..." I sighed, looking completely crestfallen. "Rhythimi is amazing and wonderful, and I could never do this to her... I love her too much to leave her behind, and like this..." I let go of him, dropping my hands down to my sides. _

_Ice bit down on the inside of his gums before looking at me again. "Rena, look at me." I met his gaze when he asked me to. "I'm your friend. You can tell me what's going on."_

_For some reason, I felt like I just couldn't tell him the truth about how I really had befriended them. "Isaac is a genius." I continued my reasons, ignoring Ice's unspoken question. "He's so smart and funny, and I care about him and his little sister Melody a lot. He's the only person I've ever met that I don't have to talk down to, because he's at my level of intelligence, if not higher." I shut my eyes tightly, working up the courage to say my true feelings out loud to someone. _

_"Rena..." Ice tried to stop me, but I wouldn't let him. _

_I glared at Ice with fiery eyes burning with ferocity. "Ice, I can't do this job anymore because I LOVE KEITH!" I shouted that last part at the top of my lungs, nearly falling down from the impact it left on me from screaming it out loud. "I... I love Keith..."_

_"You...love him? HIM? But he's a complete MORON!" Ice never looked so shocked in his whole life. He nearly fell over from surprise, but that surprise soon melted into remorse. "Fine...if you won't see reason, you leave me no choice... I'm sorry, Rena. I truly am sorry."_

_I nervously laughed, shaking my head. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait. What do you mean?"_

_Ice refused to look me in the eyes as he spoke, as if he was ashamed of himself. "Rena, I came here tonight as a friend to give you one last chance to save yourself, and you blew it." He tightened his fists, shutting his eyes tightly. "I have direct orders from the boss to resort to drastic measures if you do not go through with the job, such as releasing your true identity and the entirety of your file to Interpol, inevitably leaving you out in the open for any cop to lock you in prison for the rest of your life."_

_It didn't seem real. It was like I wasn't even inside my own body and I was just watching this whole scene unfold from someone else's point of view. I felt like someone smashed that window right there and plunged one of the glass shards right through my heart and ripped it back out, then left me there to bleed out and die helplessly. _

_"You... You're..." I struggled to form a sentence as I scoffed incredulously. "...blackmailing me?" Ice didn't even say a word, and I only grew angrier and more upset as the seconds ticked by. "Ice, you can't do that! You can't!" I lunged forwards to punch him in the face, but he caught my fist. _

_"I'm sorry, Rena. I warned you." He shook his head as he restrained me, enduring my shouting and thrashing. "These are the boss's orders, not mine."_

_"NO!" I shouted, ripping myself from his grip. "You can't do this! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME DO THIS TO THEM!" I screamed at Ice through my tears, yanking at my hair. _

_Ice gave me that disappointed look one last time before he left me with his parting words. "But I already have."_

_I was on the verge of tears. What could I do? If I went through with this, I would be safe, but my friends would be heartbroken, and I would never see them again..._

_But if I refuse, I will go to prison. _

_Suddenly, my choice seemed so obvious, and my mind became clear. I calmed down and looked Ice directly in the eye as I spoke so seriously. "Do it."_

_"That's what I thou...wait." Ice started to boast, but he paused halfway. "WHAT!?"_

_"You heard me." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I said do it. I don't care anymore. You can send me to prison for all I care, but I will not bring pain to my friends. They've already gone through so much as it is."_

_Ice was so shocked he honestly couldn't say a thing. _

_"Ugh, how boring and noble. I was hoping you wouldn't say that."_

_I slowly turned around to face the voice that came from behind me, and I stared quizzically at a pink-haired woman dressed all in pink who I hadn't noticed standing there in the shadows before. "...who are you?"_

_"I'm the marvelous and lovely Lavana, of course!" The pink-haired woman flipped her pink ponytail. "Now now, Raux. You will go through with this job if I have anything to say anything about it."_

_"Lavana..." Ice warned in his dangerous tone. "We discussed this. That's not necessary."_

_"Of course it's necessary!" She snapped, cutting him off. "You heard her." She began to sneer at me while pacing around me in a circle. _

_I looked over at Ice for help. "What's going on?"_

_"This is what's going on." Lavana threw a Manila folder at me, and I was quick to catch it. "Don't go through with the job and these pictures come true." _

_I quickly fished out the photographs and skimmed through them hastily, and these proved that my worst nightmare could possibly come true. _

_They were all pictures taken from the sight of a sniper rifle. _

_There was a picture of Keith. _

_Rhythimi. _

_Isaac. _

_Melody..._

_"You wouldn't..." I slowly turned my gaze to the evil hag Lavana, growing angrier and angrier by the second. "I WONT LET YOU KILL THEM!" I lunged for her throat, but Ice quickly reached out and restrained me. _

_"Rena, stop!" Ice tried to get me to calm down or keep me still, failing at the latter option. _

_"Don't want us to kill your friends, huh?" Lavana innocently stuck out her bottom lip to taunt me, getting up in my face. "Then go through with the job."_

_My serious look faltered, and a look of utter defeat crept up onto my face. "...fine. I'll do it."_

* * *

**(Third Person POV)**

Chairperson Erma was completely stunned as she listened to Rena's story. "You saved their lives..."

"Maybe so." Rena tore her gaze away and looked over at nothing in particular. "Regardless of that, I still hurt them..."

"I will be forever grateful for your sacrifice." Erma placed her hand on Rena's shoulder, giving her a head nod of approval. "I will go tell them right away..."

"No!" Rena grabbed her hand and jerked her back, preventing her from leaving. "You can't tell them anything I've told you tonight!"

"Why not?" Erma blinked at her in confusion. "This could get them to forgive you and trust you again. I would much rather have a team that trusts one another working together than one that does not_."_

"They can't know that Dim Sun has targets on their backs." Rena stared down at the floor shamefully. "I don't want them to know how it feels to live life every day like me... It's scary knowing that someone could kill you at any second." Rena turned around to face the ledge again, looking up at the stars. "I suppose that's why I was always on the run for these past ten years..."

"Hmm..." Erma pressed her lips together firmly. "You're much braver than anyone gives you credit for."

Rena just scoffed. "Are you kidding me? I'm a coward..." She turned back around to look at Erma face to face. "I should have fought back... I should have tried harder! I should have..."

"There's no sense in dwelling on the past, dear. What's done is done, and now you just have to finish what you started." Erma looked into her eyes seriously, trying to get her point across.

Rena paused and just returned her gaze in silence for a moment. "...but what if I'm not cut out to finish this fight?"

Now this time it was Chairperson Erma's turn to laugh. "My dear, I'd say you're more than qualified for this job."

Keith watched as Erma led a depressed Rena back downstairs, and he listened for the sound of the rooftop door closing behind them. He stepped out from the tree's shadow, exposing himself to the rain as it began to soak his hair and uniform.

_"I've been protecting you more than you could possibly know..."_

"...yeah. I guess you were."

* * *

**So, now that you guys read that big reveal, if you go back to chapter 28 and read Rena's thoughts and actions from there to here, they make more sense, don't they? XD I bet you guys thought you knew everything about this book... Nope! There are still more plot twists that have yet to come.**

**XD you guys are so pissed at me, aren't you?**

**Probably...**

**Well, as the saying goes: it always gets worse before it gets better.**

**PS: Rena didn't try to kill herself in this chapter. All she did was mope that no one would give a damn if she DID kill herself. Which she didn't.**

**That's all~!**

**Read, review, and enjoy waiting for the next chapter! :)**


	36. Chapter 36: Dance the Night Away

**(Third Person POV)**

"Everybody ready?" Rhythimi stepped off the escalator with a click of her heels and joined the group of Ranger Union employees down in the lobby. The woman was dressed in her amethyst, strapless sweetheart dress that complimented her flawlessly. Her light blonde hair was tucked up into a Cinderella-style up-do.

Wendy wore a mint-hued evening gown that mirrored Sven's tie and her hair, and the two stood side-by-side at the door somewhat impatiently. Chairperson Erma had on a more plain, floor-length maroon dress that resembled her casual garb, and stood beside Professor Hastings in his tight white tux. Isaac matched Sven and was dressed in a subtle black suit, and he had on a purple tie that matched Rhythimi's dress.

And Keith? Well...

Keith looked very pissed off from where he stood off from the main crowd, dressed in a black tux and a "salmon" tie that supposedly matched Rena's dress. Although, he hadn't seen the thief for three hours, since Rhythimi whisked her away for a makeover that would make her completely unrecognizable to Altru employees.

"We're ready." Wendy grinned at Rhythimi just about as lovingly as Isaac did when she strode into the room. "You look so great!"

"Thanks!" Rhythimi did a little spin in her flattering dress, tucking a stray blonde hair that had escaped her blonde bun.

"Is Rena ready?" Chairperson Erma quirked a quizzical eyebrow at the blonde as she uttered the question.

"I don't know, you tell me."

One by one, the members of the Ranger Union turned to look at the woman who spoke in Rena's voice coming down the escalator. Wendy and Erma awed at how different the thief appeared, while the men were shocked by how tight that dress pressed against her fair skin.

Keith was the last to turn around, but when he did, his mind immediately regretted it. But his heart hadn't.

Rena had a flirtatious smirk stretched across her glossed lips as she strutted over to Keith in the burning pink racer-back cocktail dress that was a bit too tight in the bodice. She had removed the bandage on her arm and covered the healing gash in as much makeup as she could in attempt to conceal her wound, which worked out a lot better than she had anticipated. The ace bandages were wrapped around her waist underneath the dress, but you could hardly tell it was even there. Her long, dark brown hair had been tucked up into a cropped, light chestnut-brown wig that dusted at her shoulders. The wig had bangs cut straight across her forehead, and if it wasn't for her unforgettable blue eyes, no one would have recognized her as Rena. Not even Keith.

Keith tried not to let the woman standing right in front of him see that his ghostly breath had been whisked away, putting up a tough act and pretending as if he didn't even notice a difference in her appearance. "Are you going to be able to pick-pocket people wearing those heels?"

Rena just scoffed when he struck her pride with that little remark. "Of course I can. They're only five inches!" She eyed her own vibrant pink stilettos with no regrets in her choice of shoes for the night.

"Wow, Rena..." Wendy blinked back her shock. "I hardly even recognize you!"

"Ah ah ah." Rena held up her pointer finger to shush Wendy. "Don't call me by my name. Tonight, I'm simply Kate."

"Kate..." Rhythimi rolled the name off her tongue casually. "Wow. That's going to take some getting used to."

Rena pulled away from Keith and marched right out the door with the most determined expression the world had ever seen written on her face. "Come on, let's go. We have work to do."

* * *

The sun had set on Altru Park, cueing the automatic fountain lights to flick on and to hauntingly illuminate the center of the park that was just outside of the gargantuan dusk tower. Rena and the Rangers marched right through the grassy gardens of the park filled with the many other individuals dressed to the nines and went straight for the bottom floor of Altru Tower: the location of said ball.

When the automatic translucent doors slid open, yellow floors and sepia walls glowed with the crystal light fixtures that highlighted the sparkling couples twirling across the dance floor like music box dancers. Smorgasbords of food and drinks were pushed off to the side, creating the maximum amount of space for the dancers. Several ladies and gentlemen sat down at the few round tables pushed around the edges of the room away from the dancing area, either having no intention such gallivanting or were simply lacking a partner. The entire room was booming with music and laughter, and the party was already a huge hit just half an hour in.

All Altru employees wore black tuxedos with their badges clipped to their front pockets, handing out all sorts of new business cards and brochures. After all, this was a ball celebrating the grand opening tomorrow. This ball was how they were going to advertise that they wanted donations to their company and make new clients, so anyone who worked here was instructed to look the part.

"Alright, so Altru Tower has ten base floors." Rena turned around and looked over at Isaac. "What else?"

"On top of the main building is a scaffolding extension to the tower." Isaac quickly added. "It has five levels: three are for security, one is a research floor, and then there's the observation deck just before the rooftop, where the Shadow Crystal is." Isaac concluded his debrief of the tower's structure.

Rena just sighed, lowering her voice so that only the Ranger Union members could here. "Great, so I need to find ten employees, swipe away their access cards for the first ten floors, and then I need to locate someone with a master key that would have access to the five-floor extension up top." She stressfully rubbed at her temples. "...this won't be hard at all."

Sven picked up on her sarcasm immediately, "...are you sure you can pull this off?" He was doubtful that Rena, or should he say Kate, could pull this off.

Rena rolled her eyes over to Sven, a little annoyed. "It's not like this is my first job, you know." She bit down on her lip a little out of her irritation with the raven-haired man. "I've done this before."

Sven rolled his eyes and completely disregarded that statement. "Just because you're wearing a tight dress doesn't mean some guy isn't going to notice you lifting his wallet from his pocket."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she slipped into a confident glare. "Really? It's always worked before." Rena turned her chin up in a huff and spun around on her heel, preparing to walk away. "Oh yeah, and Sven?" She paused for a moment to glance at the doll-like man.

The cowboy Ranger looked back over at her. "Hmm?"

The brunette swiftly held her hand up to display a wallet that she had wedged between two of her delicate fingers. "Here's your wallet back," she carelessly tossed it at him as she walked away and disappeared into the crowd in search of her next victim.

Wendy dropped her jaw and quickly smacked Sven, earning a loud "OW!" from the cowboy Ranger who had let his guard down. When had she even swiped his wallet?

Hastings and Erma couldn't help but share a light chuckle after seeing Rena get the best of one of their Top Rangers.

Keith watched Rena go silently, already uncomfortable with this idea. If she was his date, then shouldn't she be staying by his side? Just the idea of her dancing with other guys was already pissing him off. What angered him even more was the thought of why the hell she still had this effect on his even after everything that happened between the two of them.

Rena casually strutted her slim figure through the crowd of well-to-do looking officials, eyeing each and every official she spotted. She had eleven targets.

So, who had an access card for any of those floors that was worthy of becoming her first victim?

Keith gritted his teeth to resist the urge to drive his fist through a wall when Rena led some chump onto the dance floor who looked around twenty-five years old; someone certainly too old for her. He figured that asshole was her first victim to con out of his security badge.

Keith was twenty years old now, and Rena was nineteen. Two whole years had passed since they first met, and yet... When he looked into her eyes, he still felt the same as he did when meeting a stranger for the first time. Would that ever change...?

...

_"Keith, what happened to her?"_

Keith stared at Rena mindlessly as she pranced about with that posh jerk to an upbeat tune, letting the flashback play through his mind like a movie. He remembered that look of concern on Rhythimi's face like the conversation just happened yesterday, even though it was a whole year ago.

_"Please, you have to tell me something... My best friend dropped off the face of the earth over the summer and you were the last person to see her. I'm more than just worried!"_

_"Don't be."_

_"Keith..."_

_"It's true. Just forget her."_

_"How can you say that!?"_

_"All she ever did was lie. To you, to me, to everyone! She's not who she said she was. She's not worth your worry, so just forget about her, alright!?"_

He had felt guilty about losing his temper with Rhythimi that day as soon as the words slipped from his mouth. He remembered her storming out of the room in tears as clear as day, and how it took him three whole days to get her to accept his apology. What was he supposed to tell her? The truth? He could hardly accept it himself in the first place.

_"Keith, what happened...? Rena's been missing for a month now, and I haven't heard from her. Neither has Rhythimi. What happened between you and her over the summer?"_

Keith remembered how Isaac was the one who had to stay strong for the both of them and tried to keep them all together. Even if he was distraught and worried too, he tried not to let it show on his face.

_"She robbed my father of something important."_

_"What? Keith, what do you mean? Rena would never..."_

_"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY! THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!"_

The guy dipped Rena far back, and as she plastered what seemed like a genuinely infatuated smile on her face, she slipped his key card off and swiped it through a little card reader Isaac had plugged into her phone earlier behind her back. When he pulled her back up, her hands landed on his chest, where she swiftly clipped the badge back on without being seen.

Keith just stared at the thief who gave a laugh and a smile here and there, dancing with one guy after another on the dance floor. Her slim, curvy figure being spun around in that tight dress and those tall heels with form and beauty. Her blue eyes reflecting every light in the room made her irises look like galaxies trapped inside tiny marbles. She looked like she was having so much fun.

But she really wasn't. Not truthfully.

Rena was brought back up into a straightened posture when the song came to an end, slowing all who spun and twirled about her. She locked her eyes onto her next target and sweetly dismissed herself from her third dance partner. A pair of dancers spun past her slowly with a low dip, and when they passed, Sven was eyeing Rena as she approached him and the others over by the tables.

"Ugh... Men are Tepigs." Rena quickly slapped that silly smile off her face and spat out her disdain for the men in this room like it was venom. "...No offense." Her eyes darted over to the three guys in their party quickly before she downed a cup of water in one single gulp.

"None taken." Professor Hastings, Sven, and Isaac all chimed in simultaneously.

Isaac took Rena's phone and quickly plugged it into his laptop that he had set up on one of the tables covered in an elegant white table cloth. "Looks like you've got badges for floors four, five, and eight. You've still got a few more to go."

"Great." Rena slumped into her chair lifelessly, already exhausted after keeping this up for two whole hours. "Who's next?"

"How about him?" Chairperson Erma tilted her wine glass in the direction of a man not too far away from their clique. "He looks like he has a security badge in his blazer. Just look at how the inside lining of the pocket is bulging."

Rena casually turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse of him in her peripheral vision. "Nice one, Erma."

"How are you going to get him to talk to you?" Sven worriedly shot her a glance of concern. "He doesn't look like he's the sociable type, given that he's been lurking around that same punch bowl for the past hour and avoiding conversation as much as possible."

"Easy." Rena stood up from her chair and adjusted her dress, then flipped her hair. "Give me your drink." She held out her palm flat in front of Sven, demanding that he handed his margarita over.

"What? No way." Sven pulled his glass closer to him and further away from her. "You're underage."

Rena just sighed and rolled her eyes before snatching the drink from him anyways. "It's not for me, you dumbass!" She glared at him like he was the stupidest person ever as she started walking backwards towards her mark, keeping her back to him.

"What is she doing?" Hastings furrowed his eyebrows and squinted slightly to get a better look at the grifter in action.

Erma smirked slightly, sliding a paper bill into the middle of their group, "Ten dollars betting she has the guy hooked in less than five sentences."

"I'll take you up on that one, granny," Sven grunted before earning a harsh glare from the aging woman. "...I mean, Chairperson Erma. Twenty says she has to take him to the dance floor first."

As they all tuned back into paying attention to Rena's actions, at the last second, they watched as she feigned a laugh at someone's utterly horrid joke and turned around sharply, slamming right into the guy. She gasped as she accidentally spilled the alcoholic beverage all over the poor bastard's very expensive looking blazer, and he met her gaze with a shocked look of his own.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Rena apologized frivolously as she reached for some napkins on the table just behind them. "I didn't see where I was going! Here, let me get that for you..." She started dabbing at the stain on his jacket.

"No, really, it's fine..." The guy slowly looked up apologetically, and he froze when he met Rena's gaze, completely mesmerized with this woman. "Oh. Hi..."

Rena made sure her timing was just right and she froze under his gaze at the exact same moment he did. "Hi..." She faked an embarrassed blush to stain her face almost ear to ear, and she knew she already had this guy hooked. "I'm Kate."

"Marcus."

"Nice to meet you, Marcus."

Sven slammed his fist down on the table Wendy and Isaac were sitting at, and the two tried not to bust out laughing at how angry Sven was as he slid his cash reluctantly to the chairperson. "Damn, she's good! Take the money..." He bitterly crossed his arms and poured over his loss.

Chairperson Erma stifled a laugh as she bumped Hastings with her elbow. "I told you that girl was something special."

"You're never wrong, Erma." He sighed wistfully as he shook his head.

A happy couple spun by as the room slowed suddenly, laughing and smiling at each other as the man twirled the woman around four times. As they passed, Keith could be seen leaning up against a wall in a dimly-lit corner sulking all by himself.

_"Hey, what ever happened to that girl you were crushing on, Keith?"_

_"Just shut up and mind your own business."_

More and more memories of questions he had been asked over the last year flooded into Keith's mind all at once.

_"I can't believe you, of all people, got played by some chick and you're heartbroken! Talk about serious irony, dude."_

_"Mention her one more time and I swear I'll choke you until you utter your last breath..."_

_"Alright, alright... Chill, dude. It was just a joke."_

Keith inwardly kicked himself when he remembered his first few months as a Top Ranger. He didn't exactly get along with Sven and Wendy very easily, although the couple tried several times to get him to befriend them.

_"Hey, I'm going out with Wen' and her friend Cindy tonight. Wanna come and make it a double date? Wen' says she's a real nice girl."_

_"I'll pass."_

_"Come on, red. I've never seen you with a girl before. Don't you think you should try to put yourself out there and find someone that will make you happy?"_

_"Shove off, Sven."_

_"Alright... Whatever you say."_

Wendy was really hard on him too. She didn't take well to his bad attitude, as did everyone else in the Ranger Union. It didn't take her long of pushing his buttons to figure out that Keith's love life was the source of his foul attitude.

_"Keith, I don't know what happened to you before, but you can't just give up..."_

_"Look, I've said this already more than once. I have no intention of dating anyone."_

_"Sigh... You know you'll never improve that bad attitude we all hate if you sit around here all day feeling sorry for yourself because whatever beauty you had in the past didn't like the beast she saw."_

_"Shove off, Wendy."_

_"Okay. Just know that I'm not letting this go."_

But what got to him the most was the mortifying, most hateful fight he ever had with his father the night Rena broke into the safe and disappeared.

_"You clueless IDIOT! Do you have any idea what that tiny brain of yours has cost me!?"_

_"Father, I didn't know..."_

_"What's the point in having all of this security to keep my inventions safe if my good-for-nothing son chases after every harlot with a pulse and brings them right into my office!"_

_"Father, there was no way I could have known she was here to steal the..."_

_"Enough of your excuses... Get out! I've had enough of you!"_

It took months for them to reconcile, but his father did eventually man up and make amends with Keith. That was the only upside of Rena turning out to be a lying criminal: it gave him the chance to get close to his father again. Even now they don't have the perfect relationship; it would be ridiculous to expect that they would have a flawless father-son relationship after what they went through for years, but they at least had a mutual respect for one another. And, at least once a month, Keith's father cancelled all of his appointments for the day so the two of them could go into the basketball court they had in the backyard and shoot some hoops together. Their relationship wasn't hopeless and lost forever after all.

But that never made the guilt go away. Keith never forgave himself for letting Rena use him as one of her pawns to hurt his father. He never forgave himself, and he sure as hell never forgave her.

...until now.

Now, after what he heard the night before on the rooftop, he was back to square one: he had no idea what to think. He had no idea who she was more than ever. She was blackmailed and forced to betray him, supposedly after falling in love with him and backing out of the job in the first place. Now that he knew one wrong move could result in a bullet being lodged in his brain, he was actually pretty scared. Who wouldn't be after finding out they had a target on their back for the past two years? After that night, he went straight to bed and did not breathe a word of what he heard to Isaac or Rhythimi. He could barely breathe at all. But Keith agreed with Rena on one thing: knowing someone was out to kill you at any given moment was no way to live.

It was just too...unsettling.

It took her four hours to get everything. Four excruciatingly exhausting hours of flirting, stealing, and pretending to be someone that she was not in order to obtain all ten of those key cards. All that was left now was to obtain the master key.

"Try Wheeler over there." Hastings directed Rena's attention to a short and stout man with an odd handlebar mustache and short sprouting green hair. He was clad in a purple and white striped suit that only made his roundness even more prominent. "That's Blake Hall's personal henchman. If anyone in this room would have a master key, it's him."

"Got it." Rena nodded her head and took a step forwards when Hastings patted her on the back to give her the signal to get going.

Isaac flashed Rhythimi an apologetic smile as he closed up his laptop. "Sorry tonight was all working and less dancing..."

She simply smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek like a Beautifly wing's beat. "It's alright. We all made sacrifices for the greater good tonight."

She giggled airily when Isaac's face slowly started to burn the shade of a red tomato, and she jumped down off of her chair. "We should head back and start getting to work on the key cards while Rena's tries to get that master key."

"Good idea." Erma nodded her head in approval. "You two head back to the Ranger Union and get work processing that data into one card that will work on ten floors. Rena will need that to get into the building tomorrow." She looked across the room at the elevator blocked off by tables that lead up to the other floors. Right now they were just in the lobby, but tomorrow they had to infiltrate one of the most secure buildings in all of Almia.

"Yes ma'am!" Rhythimi comically saluted her before grabbing onto Isaac's arm. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go."

Isaac smiled wryly at her as the blonde woman linked with him began guiding the genius out of the building. "Does this mean we're dating now?"

Rhythimi turned her head and scoffed at him. "Now? I kind of already thought we were."

Isaac couldn't keep the wide grin off of his face as he sneakily slid his arm down hers until he found her hand and interlocked their fingers together in a loving embrace. "...me too."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Ranger Union...

Melody Gram Bell had been staying with Barlow in his spare room at the Ranger Union since Dim Sun had kidnapped her a few days prior. Figuring Dim Sun was not honorable enough to trust that they wouldn't try again to take Melody from them, Barlow had been keeping a close eye on the child for the time being until he could get the chance to return her home safely. Her parents had been notified of the situation and were relieved that their daughter was okay, and they both agreed it would be safer for her to remain under Barlow's care at the Union. For now, the Vientown base leader had put another member, with a comically large afro, in charge.

It was nearly midnight, and despite that, Melody just couldn't sleep. How could she after what she just went through? It was the single most terrifying thing she had ever been through in her entire life. She didn't even know who Dim Sun was or why they took her, but that just made it all the more heart-rattling for her.

Barlow was sound asleep when Meoldy slipped out of the room and into the dimly lit hallways of the sleeping Ranger Union. Was her brother back from that ball yet? She really wanted to see her big brother...

But when she rounded a corner, her blood -curdling scream was muffled by someone's gloved hand being pressed over her mouth as they disappeared with her around a corner, fading into the darkness of the long shadows.

* * *

Isaac and Rhythimi shared a laugh underneath the starry night sky, heading back towards the Ranger Union hand in hand. It felt like the bright lights above were guiding them to the place they could call home.

"So what's our plan?" Rhythimi rested her head on Isaac's shoulder with a blissful smile stretched across her delicate face.

"Well..." Isaac trailed off into his own thoughts. "First I'll start feeding the data into the main computer back in the lab, and then I'll try to create a key card to compile all of the codes into..."

"No, silly!" Rhythimi lightly punched Isaac's arm as she laughed at him. "Not that plan. I meant our plan! Like, are we going to date for a few years and then get married, or maybe we'll get engaged young but have a long engagement..." The blonde smiled up at the sky as she pressed her finger to her lips. "Hmm... Or maybe we should just get married right away?"

Now, most guys would freak out at this conversation being brought up so early into a relationship, but Isaac wasn't like most guys, and to him, Rhythimi wasn't just some ordinary girl.

She was his girl.

He laughed it off as he shook his smiling face back and forth. "You're already thinking about this?"

"Pshhh, of course I am." Rhythimi rolled her eyes and brushed off his comment immediately. "I've been planning my wedding since I was six years old!" She nervously gritted her teeth through her smile as she slowly looked up at Isaac. "I'm not freaking you out, am I?"

Isaac placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Of course not."

But of course, the jubilant peace did not last for long. It never did.

"Hate to break up such a cute moment..." A familiar figure emerged from the shadows with five Dim Sun minions standing behind her. "...but professor Isaac will be coming with us."

"Lavana!" Rhythimi widened her eyes in shock at the woman with her flamingo ponytail falling like lava down her shoulders. The Operator quickly stood in front of her boyfriend protectively. "Stay away from him!"

"I don't make promises I have absolutely no intention of keeping."

* * *

Rena trudged back to the group with the most disgusted look on her face ever. "Ew... Wheeler is seriously creepy," the thief shuddered as if her mind flickered with things she just couldn't forget as she tried to rub her temples to wipe her memory. "He just kept talking about President Hall and praising him so much the whole time like they were married or something..."

Keith bit down on his lip to keep himself from laughing, but Sven didn't bother to hold back his amusement with Rena's misery.

"Well, I got it." She waved her phone back and forth carelessly. "I guess we're done here."

"So now what?" Wendy blinked her eyes repeatedly.

"Now that work is over, we dance." Sven stole Wendy's hand from her and romantically whisked her onto the dance floor casually.

"Sven!" Wendy laughed and let him drag her away to dance to a slow song that had just begun to play.

It wasn't much longer before one of the men in the room approached Rena and asked to dance with her.

"May I have this dance?" He smiled and bowed graciously, holding out his hand for her to take.

Rena turned her head to look over at Erma and Hastings, who were containing their nostalgic chuckles and ushering her to accept and go have fun.

"Alright... Why not?" She shrugged her shoulders and allowed this man to whisk her out onto the dance floor, hoping to have at least some fun tonight.

To the tune of the slow song, they both rocked back and forth smoothly. Clearly, this guy was a very good dancer, and he was leading her around in circles and spinning her occasionally without any problems at all. Compared to the other couples dancing out here, these two stood out considerably with their flawless dance skills. Rena kept a happy smile on her face the whole time, but that wasn't what she was really feeling.

This guy was cute, kind, gentleman-like, and a great dancer, but...

Dancing with him just wasn't the same experience she had dancing with another prince once upon a time.

...

"Mind if I cut in?"

Rena's inner thoughts shattered like a mirror when someone's hand forcibly shoved her dance partner out of the way.

"Hey!" Her partner protested, but he quickly dismissed himself when the other man gave him a terrifying glare. "S-sorry... Go right ahead."

This person stepped in front of Rena and took her hand in his, then wrapped his other arm tightly around her waist as he quickly pulled her body closer to him.

Rena stared at him in shock, completely dumbfounded and mesmerized with this guy who swooped in to steal her away. "Hi..."

"Hi..." Keith grumbled under his breath, keeping his gaze far from Rena's. "Look, I know that it's your job, but it still doesn't make me hate it any less."

Rena honestly had no idea what he was talking about as she quirked on of her eyebrows. "What...?"

"Quit dancing with other guys." Keith instantly glared at her, simultaneously angry and yet more relaxed than he was before. "You're so damn confusing..."

Rena blinked at him owlishly for a moment. Keith was a man of few words, and those few words often didn't make sense since he was such an idiot, but Rena understood him completely. She knew exactly what he meant by that.

She smiled and wrapped her arms delicately around his neck, allowing him to dance with her now. "Okay. I promise I won't dance with other guys anymore."

"Good." Keith buried his face into her shoulder, half-muffling his words. "I hate you, but I hate those other guys more."

Rena chuckled lightly and let him rest his head on her shoulder, and they rocked back and forth to the slow music, just enjoying this moment. When he said he hated her this time, Rena noticed that it was only half sincere.

She was far from forgiven, but at least she was halfway there.

Now this, this right here? This felt right.

"Keith?" Rena tightened her grip on him as if he would vanish from the world if she ever let go. "I really am sorry..."

"I know." Keith muttered under his breath, pulling her even closer, feeling the same.

"Rena! Rena!" Rhythimi suddenly tore through the crowd in with hot streams of mascara and tears running down her face. The wreck of a lady stumbled to Keith and Rena as a completely disheveled mess. "They took him! They took both of them! They took Isaac and Melody!" Rhythimi was hardly understandable because she kept sniffling and was trying to stop hyperventilating. She was completely shaken up and freaked out.

"What!?" Rena let go of Keith and quickly ran over to Rhythimi and grabbed ahold of her arms, staring right into her bright grey eyes. It didn't matter to her as the dancers stopped around them, words hissing about. "Rhythimi, slow down. We can hardly understand you."

"Dim Sun..." She sniffled, looking at the alarmed Keith over Rena's shoulder. "They took Isaac and Melody..."

Keith instantly felt the danger of this situation as it settled in his stomach. "Oh no... No no no!" He immediately bolted for the front door of Altru, pushing and shoving his way through the crowd carelessly. Rena let go of Rhythimi and ran after Keith at top speed, grabbing ahold of Wendy and Sven on her way out.

Rhythimi sank down onto the floor and let her tears pour over her cheeks. "It's too late..."

* * *

Back at the Ranger Union, Professor Hastings was back to pacing back and forth. Chairperson Erma was gathering everyone around up in the communications room on the fourth floor.

Now that Isaac and Melody had both been kidnapped, Dim Sun could force Isaac to finish the Incredible Machine. They had less than twenty-four hours to think of a plan and execute it.

Rena shook her head and left the group of Rangers, heading straight for the escalators. "We don't have time for this! I'm going to get Isaac now." She lifted up her dress just enough to reveal the holster that was strapped to her right thigh, and she removed the pistol she had secretly been carrying all night from it and turned off the safety.

"No, I will not allow this." Professor Hastings suddenly stopped pacing, pointing directly at Rena to get her to stop.

Rena pivoted on her heel and jammed the gun back into the holster. "Why the hell not!? The longer we wait, the more likely it is that they'll kill Isaac and Melody! Once he finishes the machine's final touches, they don't need them alive anymore!"

"You think we don't know that?" Sven interjected in shouts, shooting Rena an annoyed glare. "As much as I would love to bust in there myself and rescue them right now, we can't. Not without a plan."

"He's right, Rena." Wendy sympathetically placed a hand on her shoulder with a worried frown. "I'm sorry."

Rena glared down at the floor and walked back over to Keith's side. "Fine... I'll hold off."

"Hastings, please tell me you have a plan..." Erma longingly looked over at the Professor with her eyebrows knit with worry.

Hastings froze with his back to his crew, staring straight ahead at the large monitor before him with Altru Tower's blueprint displayed on it. "I have a plan, but this will most certainly not be easy..." He slowly turned around and met the eyes of his fellow Ranger prodigies. "Are you all prepared to lay down your lives for this mission? Because regrettably, I must say that is what this mission will take."

Sven wore a determined smirk on his face. "Professor, if I wasn't prepared to take risks like that, I never would have become a Ranger."

"We'll watch each other's backs." Wendy nodded in agreement, smiling as she held Sven's hand tightly.

"I'm pretty sure I risk my life every time I try to cook something..." Keith sweatdropped, running a hand through his hair with an embarrassed look on his face.

Rena kept her gaze forwards. "You and me both..."

Chairperson Erma smiled happily at her colleagues. "Then we're all in agreement." She looked over at the professor to her right. "Well, Hastings?"

Professor Hastings was reluctant to even consider these orders, but he was left with no other choice. "Alright, we will proceed with the original plan of Sven and Wendy flying over top of the tower with the red and blue gem." The professor shifted his gaze from the senior Top Rangers over to the thief and the fiery red-head. "Keith and Rena, I'm assigning you a mission truly worth of Top Rangers. Listen closely. Number one: you are to infiltrate Altru Tower and rescue Isaac and Melody. Number two: you are to locate and get back the yellow gem. Number three: Keith is to take a Staraptor and fly the yellow gem to above the tower. You are to join up with Sven and Wendy, Keith." Hastings paused before focusing his gaze solely on Rena, completely serious about the gravity of her specific role. "Rena, you are to remain in the tower by yourself. You're assigned the key role in Operation Brighton. You are going to be the one to locate and get obtain the yellow gem. Hand it off to Keith and we follow through with the plan." He glanced over at the red-head and nodded. He retraced his sharp look back over to the thief: their only hope. "Rena, make your way up the tower while disabling the three barrier layers. After lifting the barrier, guide the three flying Rangers to the Shadow Crystal. It goes without saying that you will be faced with many foes along the way. It's a harrowing, challenging, and ultimately rewarding mission...will you accept it?"

Rena swelled with pure happiness as a feeling of being needed washed over her. "I promised you that I would do everything in my power to help you take down Dim Sun, didn't I?" She smirked confidently and crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

Hastings grinned brightly at his crew. "First thing tomorrow morning, we put Operation Brighton into play."

* * *

**XD okay, I know that took me a long time to write, but I got the chapter done. I have to seriously bust my ass now to finish this before Halloween... *is stressing out majorly over this* **

**Only a couple more chapters left to write before Halloween, as well as finishing up my Blake Belladonna cosplay for my Halloween costume this year ^-^"... Wonderful.**

**Well guys, read, review, and enjoy!**


	37. Chapter 37: Let the Games Begin

**(Third Person POV)**

Rena felt as if there were no words to accurately describe what it was like to fly on the back of a Staraptor; the feelings muddled themselves together. She had never been afraid of heights, but there was a strange exhilaration in flying that words could barely fathom to explain. All she did know for a fact was that it was awesome.

"There it is." Keith motioned with his head towards a spiraling, purple tower that rose much higher above than any building in all of Pueltown. As the night moon cast against it, its dark shadow engulfed the harbor city.

They had finally arrived.

"Time to touch down, I guess." Rena hushed as she nervously stole a glance at the ground one hundred feet below them. The thief was a little anxious about finally getting to execute this mission once and for all.

"Hang on tight, we're going to land now!" Keith brusquely shouted an order back to her, directing his Staraptor to begin his decent. Rena, riding with Keith on one Pokemon, drew a breath quickly as the high winds tried to steal it back.

"...wait, what!?" Rena quickly traced her shocked look towards the back of Keith's head, even though she knew he couldn't see the look on her face.

Keith was growing impatient with her newfound hesitance. They really didn't have the time to be awkward around each other right now. A mission was a mission. "Just hang on to me, alright!?"

"Okay..." Rena slowly wrapped her arms around Keith's waist and pressed her cheek gently against his back, hanging on tight to him. Her face slowly heated up, and her grip tightened as if to say she was ready.

On a single Starpator, the two humans barely fit. This was why it was good that their partner pokemon had pokeballs for transportation purposes.

Keith almost flinched at her touch even though he knew it was coming as they grew closer and closer to the tower below them. "Looks like there's some sort of riot out front. I'll take us to the back."

A swelling crowd of Altru's employees, who were recognized by their dark business attire, could be seen on the ground shouting and causing an uproar in front of the tower. One of Dim Sun's admins was blocking off the front doors, handling crowd control.

"Hey! You in the full-body leotards! Open the doors!" One of the men shouted to the admin, raising his fist to the air. His rage was a prominent flare that joined the inferno of workers.

"Is this some kind of sick joke? The company can't just fire us without warning!" One of the secretaries vocally expressed her complaint, but the panic of her unemployed future clung to the woman's tone of voice.

Another one of them voiced their angry opinion, their anger outweighing any consequences that could follow. "Don't treat us workers like we're disposable! We demand an explanation for why we're being fired!"

The Dim Sun admin in front of the door just rolled his eyes and carelessly disappeared within the building, locking the doors behind him. When the front row of laid-off employees heard the whispering click of the lock, their shouts and protests only grew louder and more apparent to the now mildly alarmed bystanders.

As Keith and Rena quietly landed a ways within a thicketed forest behind the dark tower, Keith jumped off the Staraptor and turned to face the tower. "Well. I guess those are the barriers we have to take out."

Thick, swirling stormy clouds ominously hung around the tower's peak as if they too were crowding around to see what would follow next. Any cloud wanting to get closer was pushed away by the first of three different colored layers of a barrier projected out by the tower's rooftop in domes. The outer most layer was colored yellow, the following being a pink hue, and sheltering the very center of the barrier was an icy blue layer. Keith had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as to why each of those were colored the way they were.

"We need to break through the security lock on the back door and slip into the tower without being noticed..." Rena went straight to business and squinted at the tower's back door from a distance, devising a plan of attack already.

"Come on, then. Let's go." Keith impatiently waved to her, trying to get her attention.

"Er... Right." Rena looked down at the Staraptor she was still sitting on, too embarrassed to admit to Keith that she really wasn't sure how to dismount from the gigantic bird.

She was a thief, not a sky trainer...

Rena took a chance and tried to lift one leg over the other side of the bird, but she quickly lost her balance and began to fall off.

"Ah!" Rena gasped with surprise, and she prepared herself for the impact with the cold hard ground.

But it never came.

Rena slowly opened her eyes to see that she was being held in Keith's arms right in front of him, held like a bride, only inches away from his face. For a few moments, their uneven breaths mingled with one another, and the heat brushed against each other's cheeks.

Keith awkwardly stared at her and slowly set the shorter girl back down on the ground. He had to think of something to say to her to break the awkward silence between them, and he had to think of something fast. By now, a blushing heat prickled up both their necks as they began to release their Pokemon out to join them in a disheveled way. In a bright flash, the two pokemon were out; exchanging glances between their masters and each other.

Keith awkwardly cleared his throat and averted the pretty blue eyes that were staring at him in such innocent surprise. "You know, for a professional thief, you're a real klutz."

Smooth, Keith. Smooth.

Rena embarrassingly glared at him and marched ahead. "Am not..."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

It only took them about five minutes to reach the back of the tower. Rena and Keith kept their backs pressed firmly to the wall and tried to make it over to the back door, trying not to be caught by the roaming security cameras positioned around the base of the tower.

Isaac had been kidnapped by Dim Sun, and all of the data they had collected the previous night was taken with him. Luckily, he had just made a copy of the data from Rena's phone, so she still had the access codes with her. She spent half of last night in the lab with Nage and Vatona, two brother scientists working at the Ranger Union, trying to create the one card without Isaac's help. It was tricky, but they managed.

Rena swiped the fake key card through the back door's electronic reader and watched as the red light flickered green. A devious grin stretched across her face when she heard the locking mechanism click.

The small group quietly leapt inside the building, quickly finding themselves in a darker hallway. No lights seemed to be on, shadowing their vision as the long corridor seemed to stretch forever. They peered around a corner and spotted the luminous lobby, the one with a glittering chandelier, that they had just been dancing in the night before, and across the room from them were two Dim Sun minions pushing barricades in front of the doors. They were both just talking to each other as if nothing could possibly go wrong in their boss's perfect plan.

"There! That ought to do it!" The Dim Sun moron dusted his hands off together as he directed his excitement to the Dim Sun idiot.

The Dim Sun idiot scoffed quietly to himself before crossing his arms over his chest. "That ought to keep out law-abiding employees and annoying Rangers."

The Dim Sun moron couldn't agree more as he turned around laughing. "Hah! Yeah, I'd like to see those pesky Rangers just try to get in through those...uh oh." He suddenly froze in place and looked completely horrified.

"What is it?" The Dim Sun idiot turned to look at what his partner was scared of, and he suddenly caught sight of Rena. Who, by disturbingly sneaky ninja skills, was standing nose to nose with the idiot. "OH COME ON!"

Rena threw her head back with a stomach splitting laugh. "Forgot to check the back door, I see."

**BAM!**

Keith flinched as both of Rena's fists simultaneously collided with the two men's faces, successfully sending them crippling to the floor with bloody noses.

"Owww!" One of them bitterly whined, clutching their broken nose.

"What are the Rangers doing here!?" The other of them asked without breathing through their nose.

"Well, I thought that was pretty obvious." Keith snickered at their misery just a little bit.

"Run away!" The Dim Sun moron quickly shot up from the ground and turned to face the front doors, but then quickly sweatdropped. "No, the barricades are blocking the way!"

The Dim Sun idiot quickly shot his partner a glare and began mocking him. "I told you to hurry, but, oh, no..."

"Now what? What'll we do?" The Dim Sun moron quickly began to panic like a scared school girl.

Rena just slapped her forehead and slowly dragged her hand down her face. "Come on, Keith. Let's just go." She grabbed his hand and turned to pull him towards the elevator, but a girl Dim Sun admin quickly stepped in their way. Her ash-blonde hair curled slightly from under her black Dim Sun hat.

"We knew you were coming, Rangers!" A twisted smirk curled over her face as she slammed her fist on a red button wired to the wall. Everything came in flashes by the second.

A pulsing rufescent light engulfed the room followed up with a screeching alarm ringing Rena's ears with its frequency. The silver elevator doors hissed open with the next obstacle. Ten more minions came out through the doors and quickly began to box in both Keith and Rena, following the girl admin's barking orders.

Were all of their attempts to bust in foiled already...?

The admin placed her rigid hands on her hips; she scornfully glared at her subordinates, who lied on the floor with bloodied noses, with a look of disappointment in her eyes. "Kindly explain to me how Rangers could get this far?"

"You can't stop us!" Keith barked his irritation at the girl as they began to creep closer and closer to them. His Buizel swept around its master's feet and hissed loudly, ready for a fight.

They were completely surrounded. Sure, Rena had close combat skills that could squash them like bugs, but here was just too many of them right now to fight and protect Keith at the same time... She stole a glance to her own partner, Mightyena, whose hackles were raised with a low growl. He hadn't given up yet.

"Eww, you are so pushy and primitive! Make them go away, minions!" The admin quickly displayed her disgust with Keith as she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her plucked eyebrows.

"Your epic adventure ends here, Rangers!" One of the minions bitterly smirked in Rena's direction, causing her to roll her eyes from how boring he was to her.

"You're not going to stop Mr. Hall! I won't allow it!" The girl admin shook her head to dismiss the idea of ever losing this fight.

They were really closing in on them now...was Operation Brighton over already?

**Ring ring!**

...

Rena just sweatdropped as she pressed her back firmly against Keith's, holding up her fists menacingly in attempt to warn the minions to back off. "Please tell me your phone isn't seriously going off right now..."

Keith's face turned a shade of red that put his hair to shame as he slowly pulled his phone up to his ear. "...Hello? Umm, I kinda can't talk right now, grandma... I'll call you later..."

Rena struggled to stifle her laughter as Keith hung up his phone. "Your grandma...?" Even Buizel looked disappointed in the red-head.

"Shut up..." He embarrassingly shouted back at her, glad she couldn't see his face right now.

"Do you even think there will be a later?" Rena continued to press as if their enemies weren't surrounding them, receiving a swift jab in the thigh from the bitter Top Ranger. "Ouch!"

The Dim Sun minions all stopped closing in on them and stood there stunned for a moment before they suddenly fell to the floor laughing. Although the price of getting away was whatever Keith had left of his dignity, at least they successfully distracted them for at least a second.

Which apparently was long enough.

"TAAAAARRRGETTT!"

"...Huh?" Rena quirked an eyebrow in confusion as she directed her attention over to the front doors, having heard a shout come from the other side.

Keith chuckled in relief and pumped his fist into the air. "All right! Go Barlow!"

"CLEEEAAARRR!"

**BANG!**

The front doors to Altru Tower were thrown off of their hinges and were sent flying forwards into the main lobby where they crashed and clattered onto the tile floor, the glass glazing shattering into thousands of pieces. Barlow, Crawford, and Luana all came in charging through the front doors and broke down the barricades. Barlow lead the group, and the Area Ranger Base Leader wore proud smirk on his face when he found Keith and Rena in distress.

The Vientown Ranger Base came just in time.

"Rena! Keith! Are you alright?" Barlow asked as he shot menacing glares at the trembling Dim Sun minions that were beginning to back off already.

Rena nervously waved to the large man who literally came busting through glass doors. "...We're good."

"We got the call to support your Operation Brighton!" Barlow clunked his fists together triumphantly with his Makuhita partner. "Let us deal with annoying dregs like these. You two need to keep going!"

"Roger that, leader." Keith saluted to his former boss as he grabbed Rena's hand. "Come on, they've got this."

As Rena was being pulled towards the elevator, she shot Keith a worried look. "Are you sure...?"

"Oh yeah..." Keith chuckled as he glanced back at Barlow's sinister grin. "Don't you worry about him."

Rena sweatdropped at the look of terror the minions all seemed to share at the sight of Barlow, but she quickly turned and leapt into the elevator with Keith, both their Pokemon at their heels. They had no time to lose, after all.

Keith looked around the inside of the chrome elevator as the doors automatically shut behind them. There weren't any buttons except for one beside a speaker of some sort.

"This elevator has no buttons." Keith blinked back his shock, unsure of what to do next.

"Really? What gave you the first clue?" Rena sarcastically shifted her hands to her hips as she glared daggers in his direction.

"...How do you operate this?" Keith dismissed her menacing glare entirely as an electronic voice suddenly came on over the intercom, having heard Keith's voice.

_"WELCOME ABOARD. PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD. WHEN YOU HAVE ENTERED YOUR PASSWORD, YOU WILL BE TAKEN TO YOUR WORK FLOOR." _

"It's voice operated, you dummy." The master thief rolled her eyes and carelessly shoved the red-head to the side. "Get out of the way."

"Hey!" Keith barked his displeasure at her, but he dusted himself off anyways and let her have the spotlight. "Alright miss know-it-all. If it's voice operated, what password do you have to use then?"

Rena looked back at the red-head with the most bored look ever. "Isaac worked here once, didn't he?" She held down the button and placed her face in front of the intercom. "Melody."

_"PASSWORD ACCEPTED. WELCOME, PROFESSOR ISAAC. WE WILL STOP ON FLOOR NINE. ELEVATOR GOING UP." _

"...Oh." Keith sweatdropped as the elevator shifted and began its ascent. "Well, I would have thought of that eventually."

Rena threw her head back and scoffed. "No you wouldn't have. Face it, you need me."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do NOT!"

"Do TOO!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

Their Pokemon exchanged crooked looks of almost relief to one another as their masters bickered like an old married couple. Though their bitter arguing was suddenly interrupted by the fast-moving elevator severely jostling into a harsh halt, sending Keith and Rena both crashing to the purple carpeting. All of the lights flickered out and the brunette carefully listened to the sound of machines groaning to an end due to a power outage.

"Huh? The elevator stopped three floors early... Hey! The power's gone out..." Keith complained from his sprawled-out position on the floor, beginning to pick himself up.

"Damn..." Rena cursed herself, "They must have suspected something when we used Isaac's password." She grudgingly pushed herself back up, gripping onto the cold railing for support.

A knock came from the emergency exit door at the top of the elevator. "Are you alright in there? I'm here to rescue you. Hold on!"

The lights suddenly flicked back on, and Rena turned to see a Dim Sun admin had thrown down a rope ladder through the hatch and had climbed down into the elevator.

"Haha! I lied! This is the end of the road for you two..." The bastard started to give his rant, but Rena suddenly cut him off by gripping his warm throat and slamming his back into the steel wall of the elevator.

"Shh." Rena silenced the poor guy by pressing the barrel of her pistol into the bottom of his chin, smiling cruelly. "You don't want to alert any more of your friends that we're here, do you?"

"No ma'am...!" The nervous guy squeaked out his cry, trying to pry Rena's hands off of his throat. His face was sweating and red as a beat while his oxygen slowly depleted from his system.

"Good boy." She praised him like she would her own Mightyena, who was curling his muzzle into a sort of smirk up to the admin from their feet. "Now... You know I have to do it, right?"

The guy bitterly nodded with a distressed look on his face. "Yes..."

Rena sighed quietly. "I'll do it as quick and painless as possible."

**WHAM!**

Rena slammed the back of her gun into his head, pistol-whipping the poor guy so hard that he fell to his knees unconscious.

Keith watched her in awe. "Why... Did you do that?"

"What?" Rena looked over her shoulder at him. "Did you think I was going to kill him?"

"Kinda looked like it for a minute there..." Keith shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging casually.

Rena stared down at the floor as she shoved her pistol back into her holster. "I've never killed anyone... Hurt them, yes. But never killed. The gun is to slow down, wound, and threaten. But never kill..."

"Oh." Keith was almost a little surprised to hear that.

Buizel leapt up onto Keith's shoulder, motioning up above them. Both Ranger and thief turned their heads up quietly.

"Infiltration is complete." Rena gazed at the several floors in the elevator shaft above them that they had to climb up. "Next is phase two."

"What's phase two?" Keith looked over at the thief in her black catsuit.

Rena slowly turned her head to grin at him. "Kick ass."

Keith laughed and joined her at the ladder. "Now you're talking!"

The two hoisted themselves up out of the elevator and onto a platform in the elevator shaft. It was very dark and humid in the shaft, and metal belts and bars ran all the way up to the roof, creating the pulley system the elevator operated on.

"Looks like we climb up from here." Keith pointed to various metal ladders running all the way up to what they presumed to be the ninth floor.

"Let's go." Rena gripped the first rung of the ladder and started to pull herself up.

They both climbed up the first ladder with their partners and all the way up to the next platform. When Rena got up, she immediately turned around and gave Keith a hand to pull him up too. Unfortunately for those two, there was already an admin lying in wait with a Miniremo ready to go.

"Time to put an end to you two before this gets too far." The Dim Sun admin chuckled and cracked his knuckles, immediately gliding his fingers across the keyboard and typing in commands with light clicks that filled the darkness with haste.

"Rena, let me handle this." Keith protectively stood in front of her, holding an arm out to keep her from proceeding any further. His Buizel took the stage, ready to defend also.

"Fwaaah. I'm positively worn out from waiting for you." The admin stretched his arms upwards and yawned a little bit as three Gabite suddenly appeared around his Miniremo as if they already heard the command. "As Heath was saying about you, you don't look much in the way of intimidating."

Keith darkly chuckled as he booted up his Styler and released his capture disc. "Then you have obviously not met me or the chick behind me there. She's pretty fucking scary on her own." He bitterly smiled as he began the capture.

Rena pretended to be flattered and flipped her hair casually. "Why, thank you!"

Rena watched as Keith performed his capture. Never before had she witnessed a Ranger perform such an exemplary capture before. Sure, she had performed them herself in Ranger School, but she never had seen a real Top Ranger do one. He moved so quickly with such style and ease, and he made it look so easy. Watching Keith do this capture just reminded her just how hard it was to be a Ranger, and she was impressed by how much his skill had improved over the years. Then it slowly flooded over her as she recalled everything she had missed in that year; time and trust she believed she could never get back.

"Capture complete." He clicked his Styler back into place as he watched the admin's Miniremo explode into a million tiny pieces. The look of shock on the guy's face as his Gabite came to their senses and fled was priceless.

"Wha-wha-wha... HOW!?" The admin threw his arms up into the air in frustration.

"Truly sorry about this..." Rena approached the admin casually with an unconcerned look on her face. "...but I can't exactly have you running back screaming to your friends."

**WHAM!**

His body clambered onto the floor with a big thud, and he was instantly knocked unconscious from the blow she delivered to the back of his neck.

Keith sweatdropped a little bit at how quick and decisive she was. "...are you going to do that for every idiot we encounter?"

Rena shrugged as she gripped the rung on the next metal ladder. "Kinda have to."

Mightyena and Buizel snickered and shook their heads at their two masters, quickly following them up to the second platform.

On this platform, there were two Dim Sun Crimson units waiting for Keith and Rena, chatting away like girls do and fixing their thick plaster they considered to be "makeup."

When one of them landed their eyes on Keith, she jumped up in a grumpy rage. "I knew it! I thought it had to be you!"

Keith just sweatdropped. "Err..."

"Don't you dare claim not to remember us!" She took offense to Keith's forgetfulness.

"Another one of your one-night stands?" Rena bitterly glared over in his direction.

"What? No!" Keith threw his hands up into the air defensively. "I haven't even considered seeing anyone else since you..." He quickly slapped his hand over his mouth, surprised by himself for letting that slip.

Rena was thrown completely off guard as she blinked innocently up at the taller boy. "Wait... Really?"

"Sh-shut up..." Keith stammered as he tore his gaze from her and stared down at the floor.

"...well I was just going to say that we are the Dim Sun Crimson unit and the humiliation you subjected us to inside Boyle Volcano is unforgivable, but..." One of the crimson units stared at Rena and Keith in awe. "...I kinda feel like I'd rather make some popcorn and continue watching this romantic comedy you guys have going on here."

Rena's face flushed a deep shade of red in embarrassment. "W-we're not a couple! It's quite complicated, really..." She cut herself off and sighed bitterly. "Ugh, I seriously don't have time for this right now!" Rena walked up to the two girls and abruptly clocked their heads together pretty hard.

"OWW!" They both yelled as they fell to the floor, clutching their heads that were throbbing in pain.

"Let's go, Keith." Rena pushed past the wailing girls on the floor and started to climb up th next ladder.

Neither of them paid notice to one of the admins who stared up at the two of them. Even though they were on opposite sides, the admin hushed to herself, "I ship it..." before the pain became more unbearable.

On the final floor, Keith, Rena, Buizel, and Mightyena came face-to-face with yet another Team Dim Sun admin waiting for them at the top of the ninth floor. "Welcome, Rangers!"

"Actually, I'm not a Ranger." Rena childishly interrupted him without a care in the world. "I'm a criminal. He's the only Ranger here." She punched Keith in the shoulder lightly to draw the attention to him.

Keith flashed his Styler to the admin, enjoying being a show off. "Yep. I'm a Top Ranger, actually."

The Dim Sun minion seemed pretty bored actually as he stared ahead at the two. "Whatever. Look, I'm under the orders from our leader, Ice, to treat you with the utmost courtesy..."

**WHAM!**

"Rena!" Keith quickly scolded the woman standing over yet another unconscious minion with her fist held up.

"What?" She glared fiercely at Keith with a bitter attitude. "I was going to have to do that anyways..."

Keith crossed his arms over his chest uncomfortably. "What's with you and that Ice guy, anyways?"

Rena froze in the middle of stepping through the doorway, tensing up. "What about him. There's nothing to tell."

Keith didn't want to beat around the bush, but he didn't really want to know, either. "There isn't something between you guys, is there...?"

"What?" Rena turned around suddenly and glared at him in confusion. "Why would you even think that? He's like... Fifteen years older than me."

Keith tried to smother his jealousy as he jammed his fists into his pockets. "I... I don't know." He looked at anything but her as Buizel and Mightyena followed this conversation. "It just seemed like your heart was broken a couple days ago when you were yelling at him during the union raid..."

Rena sighed deeply and walked back over to Keith, disregarding his personal space as she placed herself right in front of him. "Keith, I've never loved anyone other than you in my entire life. Ice was my handler during the job, and he was my trusted friend. That's why I was so upset that he betrayed me." She rested her hands on Keith's chest, staring straight up into his red eyes. "Ice and I were never anything more than friends." Her words were ones that he wanted to hear so long ago, but from the way the thief said them... It didn't feel right. It felt like they were dying.

Keith stared at her for the longest time as he felt the world just suddenly come to a stop. Everything froze on this moment, this moment where they were together with each other again. Their noses brushed each other as the distance between them seemed like nothing.

And in this moment, Keith felt the barrier he had put up between them just shatter. Yet hers still was stronger than anything, despite her words. Despite her sinking blue eyes.

"Uhh..." Keith nervously laughed, pulling away from her completely. "We should keep going." He walked ahead and went through the doorway that lead into the ventilation shafts, leaving Rena behind.

Rena's disappointed eyes quickly flickered to the floor. Jheeze... How could she be so dumb? She couldn't just expect him to get over it so quickly...get over her betrayal. What was she even thinking, being so forward with him? And his rejection was just embarrassing...

Buizel and Mightyena vocally expressed their frustration to Rena and mentally flipped a few tables. Rena stared oddly at the two Pokemon throwing hissy fits, wondering what suddenly got into them.

Rena shook her head and went to join Keith in the large ventilation shaft; it was tall enough for them to not have to crouch down, but it was very skinny to the point where two people couldn't walk beside each other. They walked straight ahead, turned left, and then turned right twice. At the end of the shaft, Keith managed to pry open a grate on the ground for them to jump down through.

Rena peered down through the hole in the floor and wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Ugh. This looks like the garbage room..."

"Well, we don't have much choice." Keith sighed quietly as he looked at the ventilation shaft's dead end right next to him. "This thing's a dead end, and this is the only grate that leads to the ninth floor."

"Well, here goes nothing..." Rena motioned to jump down through the vent, but Keith quickly grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Nope." He shook his head in defiance, scooping Rena up immediately into his arms and getting ready to jump through the hole. "I'm not risking you landing on broken glass or something."

"Keith!" Rena instantly protested, slapping him lightly to him to put her down. "Put me down...AHHHH!" She squeaked out a small yelp as they began falling through the hole, holding onto Keith tightly.

The two plummeted down through the roof and fell into a room piled to the top with garbage. Luckily, Keith managed to stick the landing and kept them from getting cut up by any broken glass.

Rena jumped out of Keith's arms embarrassingly, and she quickly dusted herself off. She looked up at Mightyena peering down at her through the hole with both amusement and caution, and she outstretched her arms to him. "Come on, boy! I'll catch you!"

Rena effortlessly caught her mutt in her arms after he jumped through the grate, and Keith caught Buizel when he jumped too.

Keith and Buizel suddenly walked out the door without a word, and Rena and Mightyena quickly followed behind. Obviously he wasn't going to acknowledge what just happened between them. Rena rolled her eyes just at the thought.

Leaving the garbage room, Keith and Rena found themselves in a large space with various doors and rooms lining the walls of the square space. Around the corner was a strange, electronic gate with four glowing red shield plates decorating the front. The gate seemed to be blocking off what looked like the entrance to a research lab, and four Dim Sun admins were squabbling with each other in front of it.

Keith suddenly grabbed ahold of Rena, pulled her back into his chest, and covered her mouth with his hand as he ducked behind a corner, keeping them out of sight.

Rena made some sort of muffled cry, but Keith pressed his hand harder over her mouth to shut her up and keep them hidden in the shadows. "Shhh, be quiet."

Rena slowly nodded her head, and their two Pokemon pressed themselves further up against the wall to keep hidden as well.

"Hey! I'm getting word that Rangers have infiltrated the building. Is the yellow gem secure?" One of the admins barked her complaints to another, pacing back and forth.

"The yellow gem is in secure storage in the back here." A more carefree admin leaned up against the electronic gate, scoffing a little. "This gate isn't about to open easily. There's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, our Miniremo units are the keys to the gate." Another one of the guys patted the nervous girl's shoulder. "Unless the Rangers can find and beat all of us, that gate is staying shut."

"Yeah, I agree with that." Another girl nodded her head hastily. "Even Rangers can't take all of us out."

The guard standing by the door behind the gate rose his voice to be heard. "Okay, everyone understand their roles? If we spot any Rangers, we nab them, then bind them a smidgen on the tight side. With that done, we march them over to Ice and file our report. Got it?" He asked the four admins after barking his orders.

"Okay!" All four of them cheered together as they all took off in different directions. Each admin went to a different room on this floor to hide.

Keith let go of Rena and spun her around to face him. "...Oh-kay. So, now we know where the yellow gem is." He peered around the corner at the gate. "That gate's supposed to open if we smash the Miniremo units. Since we're here, let's recover the yellow gem first." Keith quickly gave his suggestion, but Rena disagreed.

"No." She shocked Keith to the bone with her chilled words. "Yes to getting the gem, but no to breaking the Miniremo units. We don't have time for that." She immediately bolted towards the gate, pulling her gun.

"Rena, NO!" Keith lunged forward to stop her, but she slipped through his fingers.

Rena stopped herself ten feet from the gate and lined up her sight, taking aim at each of the red shield plates that stood as anchors to keep the gem safe. And then she pulled the trigger.

**BLAM!**

**BLAM!**

**BLAM!**

**BLAM!**

She fired a single bullet into the center of each plate, and she watched as the whole gate seemed to power down.

"Mightyena." She looked over at her most trusted partner. "Take it off its hinges."

Mightyena growled menacingly at the gate as he stood his ground. He began charging and absorbing a malicious power, and his eyes suddenly became engulfed in a blackness. Then, with a great roar, Mightyena released a powerful pulse of pure darkness that completely obliterated the gate and blew the pieces away in all sorts of directions.

The guard left standing in front of the door was shaking uncontrollably as he stared at the empty space where the gate once was, and the angry woman pointing a gun at him.

Rena held her firm gaze and did not put her gun down. "So. What'll it be?"

The Dim Sun minion stared at her for only a second longer before running away from her terrified, leaving the door completely unguarded.

Someone came up behind Rena and grabbed ahold of her gun, pushing her hand down to her side.

"Rena." Keith stood in front of her and looked into her grief-stricken eyes, not falling for the strong front she was trying to put up. "I'm worried about Isaac too, but you have to stop being so reckless." He took the gun from her and discarded it immediately. "You're not a thief anymore." He pressed his hands down on her shoulders, leveling his gaze with her. "So stop acting like one."

Rena tried to stop the tears from pouring out of her eyes; the tears that reflected her pain and her worry for Isaac and Melody. She looked at Buizel and Mightyena and their remorseful faces, and then back at Keith whose stone-cold expression was starting to crack.

"That's where you're wrong." Her blunt, cold tone of voice even shocked Mightyena. "I am, and always will be, a thief. That's the exact reason I'm even part of this mission, right?" She wiped at her eyes and pushed herself away from him, walking over to the door. "I don't deserve to be allowed a chance at redemption. I really don't."

"Rena, wait..." Keith chased after her into the research room, trying to catch up.

As they came charging in, Keith and Rena quickly found themselves in a war zone.

"Oh thank god!" One of the researchers in the room sighed deeply in relief. "Please help us!"

All six of the researchers had been pinned to the walls around the room by the several thousand lazer beams that ran across the entire area from every possible angle. The red beams surrounded a large clear case in the center of the room that a yellow, crescent moon-shaped gem rested inside. Sven and Wendy were circling the top of the tower with a blue tear drop-shaped gem and a red flame-shaped gem, so this must be the yellow gem Rena had heard so much about.

The researchers were prevented from moving, because these weren't any ordinary lazer beams.

They were radiating heat.

Rena's eyebrows quickly disappeared into her hairline. "...uh oh."

"What?" Keith worriedly looked over at her. "What's wrong?"

Rena exhaled sharply. "Uh, Keith... Stay back. And whatever you do, don't touch those beams unless you want a third degree burn. Or worse." She slowly started to walk towards the beams, keeping her back to him.

"What!? Then get away from those!" Keith lunged forward to grab her, but his arm slightly bumped one of the beams. "Agh!" He pulled his arm back and clasped his hand over the burn, gritting his teeth from the pain.

He barely even touched it!

Rena took in one long, deep breath. She stared straight ahead at the minefield of lazer beams and threw her arms up, then slowly started to throw herself forwards into a cartwheel.

Time seemed to stop as Rena literally threw herself into the abyss of danger. She slowly bended her body to the shape of the beams and weaved in and out of them by doing a series of various cartwheels and back-flips. A nervous bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she grew closer and closer to the case. If she slipped up even once, she was done for.

The trapped researchers and Keith watched her anxiously as she finally reached the case, and Rena slowly stood herself back up.

She turned her head and looked back at Keith over her shoulder with a large grin on her face. "Still want me to stop acting like a thief?" She slammed her closed fist on a red button programmed into the case, and her smirk only grew wider as the case opened and all of the lazer beams deactivated.

"Oh thank god..." The researchers suddenly all collapsed to the floor with relief. They had been standing there for about an hour, ever since the Rangers tripped the alarm.

"Rangers! Please rescue Professor Isaac!" One of the guys got up and ran over to Keith. "His sister, Melody, is being held hostage. They're threatening her with harm to make Professor Isaac comply. He's been forced into making the final adjustments to the tower's software!" The guy really started to panic with a look of guilt written on his face.

Another researcher walked up to Rena with a grim demeanor. "Professor Isaac should be up on the tenth floor... He's the brightest and youngest star among our firm's scientists."

The lead researcher stepped over to Rena and stood next to his comrade, looking pretty guilty as he stared down at the floor. "We got too caught up in our own research and became blind to our actions. We failed to imagine what our research was really being used for... It's far too late for regrets, but..."

"Hey, it's alright." Rena patted the guy on the back with a little too much strength. "Don't worry about it."

"I can't just not blame myself..." The lead research scientist looked completely crushed and remorseful. "Do you understand how bad this is? So many Pokemon and people could die if Mr. Hall gets the Incredible Machine to attain full power!"

A very dark shadow suddenly was cast over Rena's eyes as her voice trickled through the room, "I understand perfectly. And if anyone's at fault here, it's me..." She snatched the yellow gem and trudged out of the room with her head hanging low, dragging the depressing energy she had cast with her.

Keith's shoulders sunk as he watched her go. The more time he spent with her, the more he could feel her guilt, and her regret. It was starting to eat away at her. Or had it just been eating away at her since she failed?

...was what he saw in her now all that was left of Rena?

"Stay safe, guys." Keith quickly saluted the researchers before he ran out the door.

He found Rena on the right side of the room in front of a stairwell shielded by a purple electrical barrier. She was hacking away silently at the little password computer that was wired into the wall next to it.

He didn't say anything as he joined up with her and their two partners. Buizel and Mightyena were giving him a really worried look, which was practically screaming_ "do something!"_

Keith listened to the sound of a beep echoing from the card reader as Rena swiped her master key, and with the click of a few more buttons, the shield went down and they had access to the stairs. Rena motioned to go up them, but Keith quickly jumped in front of her and pinned her small body against the wall, just as he did once before on her first day of Ranger School.

"Keith..." Rena sighed in annoyance. "What are you doing?"

Keith just looked at her. He looked at her really, really hard, as if he was trying to read into her thoughts. And then, all he said was, "I don't blame you," and then he turned on his heel and walked up the stairs.

Rena stood there in complete shock for a second there before smiling softly to herself. "Okay..."

When they approached the top of the tenth floor, four minions were already waiting for them. They were preparing to set up their Miniremos and attack the Ranger and thief duo.

"We are the super cool and super fab four brothers of the..."

Rena slammed her fist into the talking guy's jaw, and simultaneously she kicked backwards and sent her heeled boot crashing into another's stomach. She grabbed ahold of another's shoulders and threw him into the last remaining minion, sending them both crashing to the floor.

Keith just sweatdropped as the mini brawl came to an end, and Rena stood as the victor without a scratch on her. Quickly walking past Rena, he headed towards the door at the end of the hallway. "Remind me not to piss you off..."

The two shared a laugh together after the longest time, but the joy of that moment was immediately sucked away when a little girl's scream could be heard.

"Melody!" Rena cried out her worry as she slammed herself into the metal door, pressing her ear firmly against it to listen in. "Melody, are you okay!?"

"Rena!" She heard Isaac's voice yell at her from behind the door, and it sounded very panicked and worried. "Get out of here! They've got guns!"

Rena bitterly traced her glare over to Keith. "Too bad someone threw mine away."

Keith just rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, don't tell me that pistol was the only weapon you brought with you."

Rena pulled a large knife out of her boot and wielded it with a psycho grin on her face, "Of course not."

An admin from inside the room snapped at Isaac impatiently. "Isaac! Don't you care about your cute little sister? Hurry up and finish adjusting the system software. That's going to make Altru's birthday event a complete success!"

Keith tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Damn..." He fiddled with the lock some more and slammed his shoulder into the door, but he had no success. "Looks like I need to call in reinforcements..." He pulled out his Styler and began to call someone, confusing Rena immensely.

"Who are you calling?" Rena nosily inserted herself between Keith's arms, placing herself in-between him and his Styler so she could see, which almost made it look like they were hugging each other.

The screen lit up and Barlow's pudgy face suddenly appeared. _"Oi, quit trying to get away you pipsqueaks..."_ He suddenly stopped himself when he saw Rena and Keith's astonished faces staring at him, his dark mustache twitching slightly._ "Oh, hey guys. What's up?"_

Keith chuckled and shook his head when he heard a few Dim Sun minions squeal with pain in the background. "Well if you've got a second, we've got a door in our way that could use knocking down. We're up on the tenth floor."

_"Be there in ten seconds." _Barlow nodded decisively before abruptly ending the transmission.

Rena turned around and crossed her arms. "So, how long will it take him to get here?"

Keith just gave her a weird look. "Didn't you hear him? He just said he'd be up in ten seconds."

Rena just laughed really hard. "You're kidding, right? Ten seconds? That's literally impossible..."

"Rena! Keith! I'm here!" Barlow shouted exasperatedly as he came running around the corner over to them, panting heavily. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" He sheepishly apologized for his tardiness.

"We didn't wait at all!" Keith chuckled at his former leader.

Rena's whole face was a white as a ghost as she stared at Barlow with her jaw on the floor. "Wh-wha... But that's not... It's not..."

Keith chuckled again as he slapped her on the back rather hard. "Once you get to know Barlow, you learn to stop asking questions. There are no answers."

"Is this the door?" Barlow pointed to the door behind them as he quirked an eyebrow, studying the metal obstacle. "Hmm... That's quite the door alright. Well, I've got to hand it to them, Altru does things right." He backed up a few steps and then charged at the door with full force, slamming himself into the metal door as hard as he possibly could. "Target clear!"

**BAM!**

He staggered backwards dizzily a little once it didn't budge. "Oww... Nope. If this door were the enemy, I'd shake his hand for being so tough." He turned around to face Rena and Keith. "Rena, Keith, you two help me!" Barlow ordered the two quickly with a sharp bark, and Rena didn't waste any time in stepping over to his left side, and Keith to his right.

All three of them braced themselves for a world of pain as they backed up even further this time, and they unconsciously held their breath as they charged forwards.

"TAAARGETT... CLEEEEAAARRR!" They all shouted together as they slammed right into the door, barely succeeding in knocking it off its hinges.

Barlow seemed completely fine and stuck the landing perfectly. On the other hand... Rena fell onto the hard floor as Keith fell right on top of her, and the two's faces were barely an inch apart.

Keith stared at her awkwardly before he stretched his lips into a wide grin. "Well, I'd have to admit if I was finally going to get you on your back, I was hoping it would be under...different circumstances."

Instead of slapping him like she normally would have, all Rena could manage to do was stare at him unbelievably. "Did you just...make a sexual joke about me?"

Keith immediately dismissed her concern before getting up and leaving her behind. "...nah. You're imagining it."

Rena slowly got up from the floor with a sly smile on her face. "It's about time I got you back..." She suddenly surged with happiness, shooting Mightyena and Buizel a look of confidence.

Now with her confidence and self worth boosted higher than ever before, Rena joined Keith and Barlow over by the Dim Sun goons and started to box them in maliciously.

The idiot holding the gun slowly dropped it at the sight of the huge, muscular Barlow, trembling with fear. "Y-You're too late anyway! And just by a minute, too. Isaac just finished the adjustments to the Incredible Machine!"

"Big sister!" Melody ran over to Rena with hot, steaming tears streaming down her face, sobbing intensely as she hugged Rena as tight as she could.

Rena cried a little two as she embraced the little girl. "Oh thank god you're alright... I've been worried sick!"

Keith walked over to Isaac and patted his shoulder. "Good to see you're alive still."

Isaac looked completely dejected as he stared at the floor, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it." Keith immediately dismissed the blonde's guilt without a second thought. "We don't care."

"You and Melody are safe. That's what matters to us." Rena smiled at Isaac as she handed Melody off to Barlow, who motioned to escort her and the three admins he arrested out of the building.

"Keep her safe," Isaac waved goodbye to Melody as she was lead out of the room, leaving Rena, himself, and Keith alone in the control room. "Let me come with you guys." Isaac firmly stated his position. "I know my way around the tower above us pretty well, you need to disable special software for taking the barrier down. I know how to do that. Take me with you!" Isaac pleased Keith and Rena with an intense look of determination reflected in his eyes.

"Good to have you back, smartie." Rena casually threw in her old nickname for Isaac from Ranger School, making the blonde unconsciously smile brightly.

The three ran out of the control room immediately and tore around the corner at top speed, not wasting any more time. They stumbled upon the next staircase that was locked with the same purple electrical barrier, and Isaac quickly got to work on it. Even Rena's skill was paling in comparison to the genius's handiwork.

"And... Done!" Isaac clapped his hands together as the shield disengaged, and he quickly stepped aside.

"Let's go!" Keith quickly lunged forwards and ran up the stairs that lead to the rooftop.

"Wait for me!" Rena laughed as she quickly chased after him, and a flustered Isaac followed close behind. Everything was going so right that it seemed like nothing could go wrong now.

"Guys, slow down!" The mushroom-haired boy tried to catch up to them, being very out of shape and having little success. The small team of Pokemon following behind finally creeped past Isaac wearing smirks.

The three suddenly found themselves on the rooftop that was on the other side of that door. In the center was a large door that connected the rooftop to the five-floor scaffolding extension, and now it was time to go.

"I'll update Professor Hastings." Keith quickly pulled up his voicemail feature on his Styler, ringing up the Ranger Union.

_"I got word from Barlow! Excellent work, all of you!" _Professor Hastings' excited face quickly popped up on the screen. You could see a giggling Erma standing not too far behind him._ "I'm having a Staraptor sent to you now. Keith, ride it, carrying the yellow gem. Join Sven and Wendy who are on standby overhead!" _

"Roger that, professor." Keith respectfully saluted his superior, and he ended the transmission just after that.

"Oh, uh...here." Rena awkwardly passed the basketball-sized gemstone over to Keith, accidentally brushing her fingertips against his as she passed it off to him. It felt like static shocking between them, but neither showed it. "I guess you'll be needing that..."

"Yeah..." Keith stared at the yellow gem, then at her.

Isaac looked at how sad and grave the looks on their faces were, as well as their partner Pokemon, and that was the moment he was able to tell. He was able to see just how much those two really loved each other.

...if Keith could forgive her, then so could he.

After all... He always did believe in second chances.

Rena sighed in disappointment when she spotted a Staraptor off in the distance begin to get closer and closer to them. Soon enough, the gargantuan bird-Pokemon touched down right in front of them.

"I guess...this is good-bye." Rena looked up at Keith hopefully, trying not to let her worry get the best of her.

"Hey." Keith placed his hand on her shoulder, tucking the gem under his other arm after helping Buizel get up onto the Staraptor. "I'll be fine, and so will you. We'll finish this mission and come out alive in the end. I promise."

"Promises promises..." Rena scoffed, rolling her eyes a little. "Promises are always broken, Keith."

"Not mine." He smiled at her sweetly, stunning her for a moment.

Keith and Rena awkwardly exchanged a loving smile for a moment and slowly found themselves closing the distance between each other. This moment was just so peaceful, and they were both so happy that they could actually feel each other's happiness reflected on one another like a warm ray of sunshine. Their lips were only an inch apart when...

"Hate to break this up, but..." Lavana, accompanied by two admins and a Magmortar, threw the doors apart and matched outside. Her pink hair crashed down as the woman only held hate in her eyes, mirroring the ones of a controlled fire-type. "Kill her, Magmortar, and make sure it really sticks this time!" She jabbed a finger in Rena's direction, chuckling darkly as she ordered the hit on the thief.

The Magmortar pointed his cannon for a arm directly at Rena's heart with a heavy swing of its arms, charging a hot power and only a second from firing. The thief only had moments left before the lethal fireball would be released, crossing her arms into a protective X, when everything fell apart at once.

"RENA, WATCH OUT!"

Everything seemed to slow down as a swirling ball of flames and death was fired at Rena. Her body trembled as she felt something bash into her side.

It was Keith.

He had jumped forwards and pushed her out of the way. Rena's head turned just the slightest to watch the fireball grow closer and closer to him.

"KEITH, NO!" Rena shrieked with horror as she hit the ground and watched the fire ball collide with Keith's stomach.

The thief watched in horror as the blaze engulfed the only one she had ever come to truly love. The fire licked at his flesh as he was sent flying backwards, crashing into both Buizel and his Staraptor. All three of them were sent flying off of the roof, and they quickly disappeared from their sight. The fireball thrusting the all of them far, far away from the building roof into nothingness.

The yellow gem clattered to the floor, and Lavana quickly advanced to pick it up and regain possession of it. Rena immediately pulled herself up off the floor and threw her body towards the roof's ledge, straining her eyes severely in order to try and spot Keith.

But she didn't see him anywhere.

"Although I missed, I guess this wasn't a total waste now that we have the yellow gem back." Lavana chucked to herself as she slipped the gemstone into her bag, shooting Rena a menacing glare.

Rena slowly clenched her fists as her whole body began to shake with anger. She had no way of knowing whether Keith had survived that or not, and she had failed to protect him, all because he was trying to protect...her.

And she would make Lavana pay for that. And every other thing that bitch had ever done to destroy what Rena had left of her life.

Rena spun around swiftly and lunged for Lavana's throat, her filed nails ready to dig into her flesh like a Pyroar, but Isaac and Mightyena quickly got right to restraining her.

"Rena, don't!" Isaac held back his frustration and held onto Rena as tightly as he could, no matter just how worried he was about Keith. "She's not worth it!"

Mightyena helped pull her back by biting down on the fabric of her jumpsuit, but it didn't stop Rena from screaming.

"YOU BITCH!" Rena hysterically roared, thrashing like a rampaging Gyarados to get both Isaac and Mightyena to let go of her.

The entire ground began to shake with one large tremor, sending Rena and the others crashing to the floor. Lavana grabbed onto a support beam to keep her standing, and the tremor was over within a few seconds.

The pink-haired woman quizzically looked around her. "What? The Incredible Machine is switched on already?" She then slowly nodded to herself as it dawned on her. "Oh, I get it. It's designed to creep up to one hundred percent. It's going to reach that state when the date changes at midnight." She dusted herself off and scornfully glared at her two Crimson unit admins. "I'm going back to the barrier's control room. Girls, you see to these naughty children. Don't embarrass yourselves again!" Lavana flipped her hair and marched back through the doors with her Magmortar, losing interest in dealing with Rena herself.

"Thank you for trusting us, lady Lavana!" They cheerfully called out to her back as she disappeared from them, pulling out two Miniremos and beginning to type in commands. The two girls summoned a hypnotized Gardevoir and Scizor to attack Isaac and Rena, and they got ready to order the hit.

Isaac warily backed up as he eyed the two agitated Pokemon. "Rena, I know you're upset about Keith, but there's no time to worry! You need to go capture those Pokemon!"

Rena started to back up alongside the boy genius, darting her eyes back and forth between the two charging Pokemon worriedly. "How!? You forget that I'm not actually a Pokemon Ranger!"

Isaac pointed to a small object across the rooftop from them. "Rena, look!"

Rena looked at the object ten feet from her that Isaac was pointing at, and her heart lurched when she recognized it as Keith's Styler. The Gardevoir shot a huge blast of psychic energy at them, and Scizor was just about to chomp his pincers down on Rena's torso when she quickly shoved Isaac out of the way of the attack and made a break for the Styler, rolling on the ground to dodge Gardevoir's shot. When she reached it, she quickly picked it up and equipped it to her wrist, having absolutely no time to lose.

She turned around and aimed her capture disc at the two Pokemon, glaring at them intensely as the Styler booted up. "Capture on."

The two admins watched in terror as the slim woman expertly dodged every attack their Pokemon threw at her, and she counterattacked with that Styler of hers. She must have drawn over forty loops around each one of them over the past few minutes, intensely fighting against the enraged, hypnotized Pokemon. She seemed to struggle with grasping the concept of a capture at first, but she pulled through towards the end when the two Miniremos exploded into a million tiny bits and the two Pokemon seemed to snap out of it.

There was no way they could have known Rena hadn't performed a capture since Ranger School.

When it was over, the Scizor immediately fled, but the Gardevoir stopped and stared at Rena for a moment. She sweetly smiled at the woman before teleporting away somewhere, and she left Rena standing there with a tiny smile forming on her face.

Rena had almost forgotten the rush she felt when performing a capture, and how great it felt afterwards to have created a strong bond with the Pokemon she had captured.

"...I think I've found a new hero." One of the girls blinked at Rena owlishly, completely dumbstruck with her performance.

"The Rangers...are even kind of cool." The other stared at her in awe.

Rena slowly turned to look at the two girls with a confused look on her face. "I'm no Ranger."

The first girl quirked an eyebrow at Rena. "Then what are you?"

Rena hesitated as she stared down at Keith's Styler equipped to her wrist. "I... I don't really know."

The two girls quickly took off running from the scene, having being bested by Rena, and not long after that, Keith's Styler began to ring.

Rena was startled by the loud noise that caught her off guard, and she struggled with the Styler for a moment as she tried to figure out how to answer the call. She pressed a small blue button on the side, and suddenly the black screen lit up with the face of Professor Hastings.

_"Keith! Listen, I..."_ Hastings began to excitedly relay some news to his Top Ranger, but he stared at the screen in confusion when he saw Rena instead. _"Rena...? Where's Keith?"_

Rena felt her whole body ache as her grief clearly showed on her face. "He... He was blown off the roof..." She covered her mouth with her other hand as she shut her eyes tightly. "I have no idea if he survived or not, professor...!"

_"Good lord Arceus... We'll organize a search party for him at once." _Professor Hastings' face grew very worried as he looked over at Erma by his side. _"Rena, we have no other choice. You must keep going!" _

"I-I can't!..." Rena shook her head as her whole body began to shake slightly from the shock. "I'm not a Ranger! I don't even have the yellow gem anymore!"

_"We don't have any other choice!"_ Hastings expressed his concern with her, snapping the thief from her broken and hysteric daze._ "You have to keep going and disable the barriers, retrieve the gem, and take it to the rooftop yourself!" _Rena's eyes slowly widened as she began to feel almost a little...scared. _"Can you do that?"_

"Y-yes." She swallowed nervously, trying to rid herself of the anxiety that currently plagued her. She motioned to hang up when the professor quickly interrupted her.

_"Wait! Wait! Don't hang up! I've got good news!"_ He quickly caught her attention before she ended the transmission, waving his hands around on the screen frantically.

"What is it...?" She wiped at her eyes as she mentally slapped herself to pull herself together.

_"Our research team of Vatona and Nage have made a breakthrough!" _Hastings excitedly clapped his hands together._ "They completed the Styler software that makes the impossible possible! They've named it the Incredible Program, and, indeed, that's what it is!" _

"Professor, cut to the chase, please?" Rena let out a tired sigh, stressfully rubbing at her temples.

_"Oh, right!" H_astings sheepishly got on track. _"It's designed to work with the three Tears of Princes taken from the pendants. Those colored stones were fitted into Keith's Styler, Rena, if you recall."_ Hastings continued as Rena looked down at Keith's Styler that had the three stones fitted into it._ "We'll send you the Incredible Program to update Keith's Fine Styler in a minute. That will transform his Fine Styler into the world's one and only Vatonage Styler! Using it, you will gain the ability to capture even those Pokemon under enemy control!"_ Hastings quickly spat out the rest of his news, practically shaking with excitement. This was, after all, a long overdue major win for the good guys.

"Wow..." Rena blinked her eyes at the sight of Keith's Styler. That would certainly be helpful for later.

_"Rena, you may know this already, but there is an ancient word in Almia."_ Hastings began giving her a bit of a pep talk, sensing her nervousness just from staring at a small picture of her face. _"It is a word that means to rekindle the light that has sunk in darkness and restore harmony to the world. That word is vatonage. It's a word barely remembered by even those old men and women born in Almia." _Hastings continued, sharing a glance with Erma. _"But now, the ancient word is reborn as the name of Keith's new Styler! We will send you the Incredible Program, and with it goes our kudos to all the Rangers for their courage!" _

"I won't let you down, professor." Rena bitterly smiled to mask her sadness, honorably saluting the professor out of her new-found respect for him and the chairperson.

When the transmission ended, Rena flinched when Keith's Styler began to glow a warm yellow light. After a second, the light dissipated and the words "upgrade complete" blinked at her on the screen.

It was finally time to fight the darkness.

Isaac and Rena quickly stepped through the door, really needing to get to work on disengaging the barrier. She was barely two steps inside when her Styler began ringing again, and this time, Sven's face popped up on the screen.

_"Hey, kiddo. Sven here. You're in the tower, right?"_ Sven was riding atop of his Staraptor high up in the stormy sky, occasionally glancing down at his screen to look at Rena as he was flying.

"Yeah." Rena glanced around at the circular building with see-through glass walls and odd square-tiled flooring. "I'm up on floor eleven; once I head up to floor twelve, I should reach the first layer of the barrier's control room."

_"Roger."_ Sven tipped his cowboy hat to her._ "Hey. Impatience breeds mistakes, so be careful." _He carefully warned her, worried about losing another comrade in the same night.

"Thanks for the tip." Rena nodded decisively. Sven disappeared from the screen as another incoming call came in, and Rena quickly picked it up.

_"This is Wendy here."_ Wendy smiled her usual bright grin and waved to Rena. _"According to the tower's blueprints, the barrier has three separate layers. Each of those layers appear to be controlled from a different floor." _

"I thought as much..." Rena sighed deeply. "Didn't think those bastards would make it easy for me."

_"Just giving you a heads up."_ Wendy waved good-bye before she quickly hung up.

Isaac nodded in agreement. "Wendy's got it right. There are three barrier-control floors above us. I didn't design the barrier system, but I know how most of it is set up..." Isaac looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "On each floor, there will be a circuit ball that feeds power to the barrier layer. There's only one problem. Well, actually three." Isaac anxiously twiddled his thumbs as a nervous habit.

Rena quickly realized what he was getting at. "The Sinis Trio is guarding the circuit balls..." She slowly started to grow more pissed off with each passing second.

"Precisely." Isaac sighed deeply. "Rena, are you going to be okay?"

Rena glared straight ahead as she readjusted her Styler on her right arm. "I'll be fine."

As she was about to march up those stairs and head up to the yellow barrier control floor, a large tremor shook the whole tower, sending Isaac and Rena both crashing into the wall as they held on to keep their balance. As the tremor came to an end, the tower's intercom suddenly switched on and an electronic voice began to give an announcement.

_"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS CURRENTLY ONE. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL TWO IS... FIFTY PERCENT. I REPEAT, FIFTY PERCENT. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO ABNORMALITIES."_

"Oh, no. We're running out of time!" Isaac started to panic as he pulled Rena back up to her feet. "The Incredible Machine only has three power levels, and it's going to hit level two soon. At level three, Almia's going to be in serious trouble!" The blonde frantically started twiddling his thumbs even more, worrying for the sake of every Pokemon and person in this world.

"Great..." Rena let out a sharp groan as she immediately tore up the stairs, dragging Isaac with her.

They walked around a spiral floor similar to the one they were just on that was electric-themed. Every wall was yellow and grey, and yellow lights decorated the steel-plated floor. A few Electric-type Pokemon under enemy control lurked around this floor, minding their own business. It wasn't very long until Isaac and Rena reached a large, yellow door.

"Heath should be in charge here." Isaac grimaced, not really looking forward to this.

"Well, let's go kick his teeth in." A spine-shivering crack erupted from Rena's knuckles as she marched right through the door.

Heath was off in his own little world standing in front of a large, electrical glass ball, petting a Rhypherior blissfully.

"I am hearing someone coming in... But I not smelling someone bad." Heath began talking to his Rhypherior. "They are not being our people, I can telling. You thinking so, too, my cute Rhypherior?" Heath cooed his Pokemon one last time before turning around to face Rena.

"Not really sure how you find that hunk of rock cute, but okay then." Rena shifted her weight from one leg to the other, smirking evilly at Heath.

"You! Thief! Again, you coming!?" Heath yelled at her in shock, very annoyed. "Even you bringing Professor Isaac, the traitor. You two coming in to turn off barrier system, you are?" He took a lucky guess, then scoffed in defiance. "Breaking this circuit ball is what you're intentioning on doing? No, I cannot let you doing that. I saying no. Allowing not so!" Heath glared at Rena, pouting like a small child.

Rena kept cringing at every word he spoke, finding it to be similar to understanding a foreign language. "Yeah yeah, I get it. Can you stop talking like a demented Feebas and just attack me already?" She covered her ears with her hands, emphasizing how irritated she was with him.

Heath pouted even more, crossing his arms childishly. "Fine. Rhypherior, you be getting her now! Girly go bye bye!"

Now that the Incredible Machine was powering up, he didn't even need a Miniremo to control this thing.

The large rock Pokemon sent a shiver down Rena's spine when it loudly roared, and she soon regretted opening her big mouth. She quickly grabbed Isaac and jumped out of the way of the charging Pokemon, barely dodging his attack. A large rock whizzed right by her head and went flying into the wall next to Rena. She quickly began looping her capture line around the the Rhypherior, trying to capture this stupid thing before it took her head off. It kept stomping around and causing earthquakes, making it that much harder to dodge anything that it threw at her. Literally.

She had underestimated how tough of a capture this would be, because this Rhyperior was surely one hell of an opponent. Rena got hit by a few smaller rocks from his repeating rock slide attack, but she kept pushing herself to keep going and didn't stop trying to capture the damn thing. It turned its back to her only for an instant, and Rena took this opportunity to circle it with her capture disc even faster.

Suddenly, her capture line disappeared, and Heath's Rhypherior blinked a few times before it quickly ran away.

"Losing! Again and again!" Heath immediately started kicking at the machinery lining the walls of the room, throwing a temper tantrum. "Depressing me, losing is... Cannot be showing my face to boss in this way now." He moped and pouted some more, staring down at the floor. "Oh, but then, I thinking, my pride gone. But that's all right. Important more is the barrier system, not pride for me." He grinned evilly in Rena's direction. "Not worrying, then! Barrier system is not break easy. But! I also planned ahead when being here waiting with circuit ball." Heath kept on relaying his master plan to Isaac and Rena like a complete buffoon. "I fooling with it, and putting on it, a secret thing for trap... No, no, no, never mind, I not saying! Bye-bye, adios!" He quickly changed his mind about revealing it and plowed right through Rena, running out the doors.

"That guy is such a joke." Isaac rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "He probably programmed the circuit ball so it can't be hit with a Target Clear. But guess who taught Heath and the other two to program? I think Heath forgot it was me." Isaac shook his head as he walked up to the circuit ball's computer and began disarming the trap. "...And, bingo! See? Trap disarmed in 1.38 seconds. You should be able to use a Target Clear safely on this now." Isaac immediately stepped to the side, letting Rena have her way with it.

"Mightyena." She smirked down at her partner. "Care to do the honors?"

Mightyena bore his teeth into an evil grin as he lunged forward and unleashed a powerful crunch attack with his powerful jaws. The circuit ball cracked all over, and the whole thing completely exploded after being attacked by Mightyena.

Rena's Styler began ringing again, and she quickly picked up the call from Sven. _"This is Sven circling overhead. Just confirming the outside layer of the barrier is gone. Two layers to go!" _

"Has...anyone seen Keith yet?" Rena's cocky attitude from a moment ago completely faded as she began to show her worry for Keith once more.

She heard a low exhale from the other line. _"Not yet. Uh, Rena, just... Don't worry. Keith's a tough guy." _Sven ended the transmission, leaving Rena to wallow in her own worry.

"Yeah. Got it." Rena slowly booted off her Styler and stared off into space at nothing in particular. Everything began to feel light, and the room was swimming as she started to drown in her own anguish. What if he wasn't alright? What would happen then?

"I hope he's okay too..." Isaac somberly patted her on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's deactivate the rest of the barrier, and then we can worry about Keith."

"Okay..." Rena slumped against Isaac as he guided her out the door, gently tugging her in the direction of the stairs. Each step was like walking underwater.

As they began walking around the circular floor and approached the next stairwell that was pink in color, there was another violent tremor. Isaac quickly grabbed Rena before she was thrown off balance and helped keep her standing until the tremor passed. She was breaking inside more and more. Once again, the tower's intercom switched on and the voice gave another announcement.

_"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS CURRENTLY ONE. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL TWO IS... TWENTY PERCENT. I REPEAT, TWENTY PERCENT. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO AB...ABNORMALITIES."_

"This isn't good... The system is charging power faster than I expected." Isaac observed quietly to himself, looking around at his surroundings a little paranoid.

"Fucking wonderful." Rena let out a sharp sigh after her complaint, furrowing her eyebrows as she charged up the stairs.

They kept walking around the circular floor until they approached a similar door to the one from last time, but this one was a rose pink. The whole floor was lit up with pink lights, and Fire-type Pokemon lurked in the shadows. It was easy to tell who they would be facing next.

Rena didn't waste any time as she shoved the doors open with great force, marching inside angrily. She was going to make Lavana pay for what she did to Keith this time.

Well, it would have worked, except...

She wasn't here.

"Huh? There's no one here." Isaac turned around in a circle and glanced around the room. "I guess we lucked out. Let's smash the circuit ball while we can..."

Suddenly, the doors flew open once more, and Lavana and her Magmortar strutted in.

"Well, hello there. Sneaking around and avoiding my eye." Lavana walked right up to Rena and smirked at her face. "You seem to be having fun." She then turned her head and spotted Isaac, then walked over to him. "Well, if it isn't my darling computer teacher. You've realized your mistakes, and you've come to apologize, I take it. And, because you were so embarrassed, you brought that snide bitch with you as well!" She smiled evilly in Rena's direction, making it pretty obvious who she was referring to as a 'snide bitch.'

"You are predictable as ever, Lavana." Isaac rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rena and Mightyena joined in on the rolling eyes party, not really giving a damn about anything Lavana had to say. Rena was just looking for any opportunity to punch the uppity bitch in the face.

"You're not one for sarcasm, little boy." Lavana rolled her eyes, then waved her bandaged hand. "I know you're here to disable the barrier. You're about ten years too late." She smiled cruelly at her Pokemon and then darted her eyes over to Rena. "Magmortar! Burn that awareness into their heads!"

Rena immediately stepped between Isaac and the Magmortar. "Isaac, do what you can to the circuit ball while I take care of this." Rena wore a determined look on her face as she released her capture disc.

"Got it!" Isaac slipped past Lavana and made a break for the circuit ball, getting straight to hacking the data frame.

Rena looped her blue capture line around the Magmortar as best as she could, but she was unfortunately making little progress. It kept conjuring walls of fire and explosions, shattering her capture line every time she got close. Swiftly, the Magmortar fired its cannon at Rena, and the blast sent her flying straight up into the ceiling. The thief yelped in pain as her back smashed into the tiled roof, and she came crashing down to the floor with a hard thud. Mightyena, now alarmed that his master was injured, quickly began making himself useful and joined the fight. He used his various Dark-type poke assists to help keep the Magmortar off of Rena's back long enough for her to regain her bearings. She quickly rolled out of the way of the flamethrower attack the Magmortar shot at her, and she picked herself back up and aimed the capture line at the gargantuan Pokemon once more. Swiftly, she ran up to the Pokemon and looped her capture line around it as fast as she possibly could with her remaining strength, and she couldn't help but smile when her capture was complete.

The sight of Lavana's lower jaw snapping off and clattering to the floor was enough to make Rena swell with pride. "This...really happened? I should lose? It really happened...?" Lavana stepped back in shock, shaking her head unbelievably over and over again.

"Where is the yellow gem!?" Rena loudly barked at her, advancing quickly on Lavana and gripping her by the throat once more. This time, her fingers had minds of their own as they crunched deeper into the woman's soft and vulnerable flesh.

Lavana struggled to breathe, croaking with tears starting to sting her eyes in Rena's grasp, and she slapped the thief's hands as a signal to let her go. Rena was refusing. Her rage and hatred writhing inside as the thief clutched even tighter. Her beautiful blue eyes were like seas crashing with a thousand storms. Lavana started to slap faster at the hands of death, her strength hissing away. When Rena finally realized that if she wanted to get the gem, she'd have to let go, her fingers reluctantly plied themselves from Lavana. The woman fell to the floor, her hands caving to her heart as she floundered for the now abundant air.

"Ugh!" Through each muddled breath she scraped out her words, "I don't have it. That thing is too heavy to carry around!" She quickly ran from Rena once she saw her Magmortar had fled, being completely defenseless now.

"Rena, the trap's disarmed!" Isaac turned around excitedly as he waved to her. Rena blinked slightly, surprised since she didn't even notice him going to work on disarming the machine. "This one only took me 1.07 seconds!" He proudly admitted his accomplishment, happy he was at least somewhat useful during this operation. He knew both he and Rhythimi wanted to do all they could to help Operation Brighton be a success, and he knew in his heart that Top Operator was kicking ass back home keeping everyone together and handling communications.

Mightyena advanced on the circuit ball without being told to and destroyed it as he did the other once before, then proudly barked at his master when his work was done. Rena smiled at her puppy and patted him on the head, satisfied with his job well done.

Suddenly, her Styler began to ring again._ "This is Wendy calling from overhead. The second layer of the barrier went out! Good going, Rena! There's only one layer left to the barrier!" _

"Thanks for the confirmation, Wendy." Rena decisively nodded her head before ending the transmission.

"We're almost done! There's only the blue layer of the barrier left to take down." Isaac ran out the door with Rena, excited they had almost completed their mission.

They turned to go up the blue flight of stairs when just as before, the ground shook violently, and the tower's intercom turned on again.

_"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS CURRENTLY ONE. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL TWO IS... TEN PERCENT. I REPEAT, TEN PERCENT. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NO ABNONORMAMAMAMAMA... ABNORMALITIES."_

"The system seems to be acting up...but it's almost at level two. We can't waste any time at all!" Isaac panicked even further as he got up and dusted himself off.

And with that, they dashed up the stairs and around the last circular hallway all the way around to the blue door, which obviously lead to the last barrier control room.

Although Rena was dreading going inside, for she knew exactly what she was going to find.

"This is the last of the barrier control rooms. You probably guessed it already, but the boss here is Ice." Isaac looked over at Rena and Mightyena as he relayed the facts. "He's the leader of the Sinis Trio. Don't get careless around him."

"I won't, believe me." Rena stormed into the control room, completely pissed off.

In front of the blue circuit ball was Ice, accompanied by a hypnotized Gallade. Ice had one arm in a sling, clearly an injury he had sustained from the union raid, and his eyes were colored blood-red.

"Hey there, Deveraux! It's so nice to see you again." He smiled at the brunette as she walked in, then shifted his gaze to Isaac. "And a big hello to our computer teacher... The boy genius: Isaac! Welcome to Altru Tower!" He carelessly threw his arms up into the air as if to introduce them to the tower. "Very soon the date will change. Yes, a new era is dawning in Almia. Join me in counting down the seconds to Almia's new beginning."

"I'll pass." Rena crossed her arms bitterly as Mightyena viciously barked at Ice, standing protectively in front of Rena.

"Gallade, attack them.." Ice cut himself off as he sharply winced and clutched his forehead, staggering to keep his balance. His body seemed to tremble like a personal earthquake as he cried out. "AGH!" He screamed in pain as he clamped his hands down over his eyes tightly. "GET OUT... OF... MY HEAD!" The man was combating something no one else could see, terrifying those who watched. Ice pulled at his hair and dropped to his knees, then glared at his Gallade who recoiled at the stare. "Get out of here before I lose my mind again..."

Rena stared at Ice in shock as the Gallade quickly fled the scene. The man continued to shake, ripping at his own skin like a beast inside. "What the... What are you doing!?"

"Quick..." Ice gritted his teeth in agony as he forced each mangled word out to her. "Destroy the circuit ball while you still can..."

Rena blinked at him with utter disbelief. "But..."

"JUST DO IT!" Ice shouted at her, growing impatient with her reluctance.

Rena wasn't sure what was going on, but she nodded her approval to Mightyena. The wolf Pokemon quickly advanced on the circuit ball and clamped his teeth down on it, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. It looked like the trap on it had been disabled beforehand.

Ice staggered to his feet and looked across the room at the very confused Rena, and she gasped when she saw his eyes were icy-blue once more. "Forget everything I said during the raid. That wasn't me talking."

Rena just looked at him oddly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ice gritted his teeth harder as he felt the pain surge through his mind even more. He only had so much time left to tell her. "They had that Pokemon take control of my mind once they saw my loyalties lied with you more than Dim Sun." Ice stood up straight and slowly walked over to Rena, each step holding him back with so much he just couldn't tell. "I haven't been in my right mind in over a year. It comes and goes, and I've been fighting for control ever since."

Ice crashed into Rena when the ground began to shake violently, his head sinking into the thief's shoulder, and Rena yelled out his name as she tried to keep him standing. He wasn't looking so good, and she was starting to worry out of her mind. Nothing made sense. She wanted to hate him, and something like this couldn't change her mind just like that. Altru's intercom switched on once more as the tremor subsided.

_"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS CURRENTLY ONE. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL TWO IS... VERY LITTLE. I REPEAT, VERY LITTLE. POWER IS RISING STEADILY. THERE ARE NONONO ABABABABNONONONORMMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA. THERE ARE NO ABNORMAMAMALITIES."_

"Sounds like it has abnormalities galore." Ice rolled his eyes as he regained his balance. "Rena, you are almost out of time." He turned to face the girl he cared for so much with a look of concern. There was no more time left. "The Incredible Machine is going to reach level two shortly. And, the highest level, three, will be achieved when the date turns. It's going to be right on schedule with Altru's birthday. You have to hurry."

Rena shook her head at him, not sure what to believe anymore. "Whose side are you even on...?"

Ice slumped his shoulders as he pulled the yellow gem from his jacket. "I don't even know anymore. I never wanted any of this..." He handed the gem over to Rena, feeling himself begin to lose control of his mind once more. These moments were starting to slip back into an insanity, "Just take it and get out of here!" He clutched his eyes again, fighting off the pain as best as he could. Fighting what controlled him just for one more second.

Rena cautiously stepped back from Ice, protectively standing in front of Isaac and Mightyena. "What is wrong with you...?"

He stopped fighting.

His shoulders fell.

...He was gone.

"...Ice?"

Ice slowly looked up at the thief with a crooked smile and blood red eyes of a twisted hell. "Oh, just a little girl. Lost and broken little girl. Where to go? You lost so much. And you know what'll happen after this mission is over. But it doesn't have to be. Just embrace your inner darkness, Deveraux. Embrace it and join me." He held out his hand to her, waiting for her to accept it. "You know you could never actually be good."

Rena stared at his hand for the longest time with her blue eyes frosted over. His words were what she'd repeated to herself before. His truth struck her like a knife. Her long set gaze at Ice's extended hand concerned Isaac as his eyebrows folded together. "Rena, don't do it! Don't listen to him!"

"Deveraux, you know what the answer is."

"Rena, he's lying to you!"

"You just have to take my hand."

"Rena!"

Isaac's voice of reason snapped her from her shadow-engulfed thoughts, and she quickly shook her head. She shook her darkness away as she glared at the man consumed by his, "No. Never again. I promised someone I would change, and I will."

"AGH!" Ice screamed at the top of his lungs in pain, startling Rena.

"Ice!" Rena worriedly ran towards him and gripped his shoulders, lightly shaking him. "Hey, snap out of it! Come on!"

Ice uncovered his blue eyes and stared at her very tiredly. He fought just for these last seconds, "Rena, I need to tell you something before you go."

Rena shook her head and stepped away from him. "No... I won't listen to anything you say anymore. I can't trust you anymore, Ice!" She turned to run away, dragging Isaac and Mightyena with her.

"RENA, WAIT!"

She slammed the door behind her and quickly bolted for the last staircase with frustrated tears in her eyes, wanting to get as far away from him as she possibly could. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

She didn't know who to believe.

She stopped halfway up the stairs when her Styler started to ring again. _"This is Sven circling overhead. The barrier's final layer is gone! The barrier's down! We can get close to the Shadow Crystal any time we want."_ Sven reported in, sounding hasty and ready to get this show on the road.

Professor Hastings immediately joined in on the call._ "Hastings here! Sven and Wendy, can you hear me above the tower?"_

_"We hear you loud and clear, professor!" _Wendy's face popped up on Rena's screen, and she grinned excitedly at the professor.

_"Good."_ Hastings nodded his head, _"Circle the tower and get as close to it as possible. Even the two gems you have will have an effect on the Shadow Crystal!"_

"Hey guys, Rena here." The thief hastily spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "I have the yellow gem secured, and once I reach the rooftop, I'll get it as close to the Shadow Crystal as I possibly can!"

_"Roger!"_ Sven nodded.

_"Understood!"_ Wendy added.

Rena quickly dropped the call and ran up the stairs further with Isaac as another tremor suddenly occurred. They thundered, causing the tower to groan in discontent, as the tremors lashed out at the infiltrators.

"Whoa!" Rena gripped the railing to stay up. "This one is worse than the last one!"

_"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER HAS REACHED LEVEL TWO. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL THREE IS... NINETY NINE PERCENT MORE. NINETY EIGHT PERCENT MORE. NINETY SEVEN PERCENT MORE. NINETY SIX PERCENT MORE. NINETY FIVE PERCENT MORE. NINETY FOUR PERCENT MORE. THERE ARE NO ^^^ BWEEEEEE GZGZGZGZ..."_

"Look at the gauge on the floor!" Isaac pointed to a gauge of three lights underneath the glass floor that had two of them lit up. "The Incredible Machine's power has reached level two! Once it gets there, it takes almost no time for it to reach level three! President Hall's going to win at this rate!"

"Like hell I'll ever let that happen." Rena gripped Isaac's hand and pulled him up the stairs and into the research floor as fast as she could.

There was a glass bubble on the floor with eight black Gigaremo controlling a dark, murky shadow inside. Being in this room started to give Rena an agonizing headache. She froze in her place as she stared at the shadow in complete terror, and all of the blood drained from her face. She didn't know why she was so scared, but looking at this shadow was like looking at pure evil itself. It felt like she was looking directly at the enemy she had been fighting for so long.

"Keep going. Don't look at it." Isaac gripped Rena's arm and pulled her to the stairs, leading her and Mightyena up to the final floor.

"G-got it..." Rena shook her head to snap out of it as they finished climbing the stairs.

This final floor before the rooftop looked a lot like Altru's lobby, except there were two large staircases opposite of each other that lead to the rooftop. A grey electrical plate that connected the two staircases erupted with strong electrical currents that would surely electrocute anyone who stepped on it to death.

"Huh? What is that machine?" Isaac started to wander over in the direction of a large PC of some sort that was built into the wall opposite of the stairs. "I've never seen it around before..."

"Yikes. I don't want to even go near that." Rena pointed to the electric floor trip trap.

"Whoa! It's high-voltage power!" Isaac turned his head and widened his eyes at the sight of it. "There wasn't a barrier here like this before..." He was completely puzzled as he scratched his head. "Anyway, we can't go up unless we turn off the electricity. Oh! Right! That machine must be controlling the electrified floor!" Isaac ran over to the machine in-between the two small walls boxing it in.

Rena noticed it looked like he was almost completely boxed in if it weren't for that one open wall. The boy genius began hacking away at the computer, typing commands furiously on the keyboard.

"There's no question, this machine is it. It's probably the same as before." Isaac started talking to himself as he worked. "The program is quite clever, actually. It's well thought out. But, it's a piece of cake for me. How's... This?" Isaac slammed just fist down on a button, and the electric flooring was immediately shut off.

Rena laughed with relief now that she was finally able to end this once and for all. "Way to go, smartie!"

"We've got free access to the tower's top now." Isaac kept his back to Rena as he finished up working on something at the computer.

Rena's smile disappeared from her face, consumed by the grim truth of what she had to do, as she walked up to the computer. There, she punched in a code into the card reader, then slid her master key through it; an electric green fence shot up in-between herself and Isaac, locking him in.

Isaac turned around sharply and glared at Rena in confusion. "Rena, what are you doing!?" He ran up to the electric fence and stopped quickly before he got shocked. "Let me out of here!"

"I'm sorry, Isaac..." Rena slowly started to walk backwards towards the staircases. "I can't lose anyone else."

Her heart throbbed at the thought of everyone. Their faces dancing behind her hollowed eyes. Her father's dead body slowly bleeding out in her arms. Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire risking everything they had just to hide her. Rhythimi's mascara-stained face from the ball. Melody with a gun pressed against her little innocent head. Isaac hunched over a computer, forced to create the final weapon. Wendy and Sven risking their lives high in Almia's storming skies. Ice warring with himself. The flashing images Keith being blown off the roof by a storm of fire, uncertain if he was dead or alive.

A tear found its way falling from Rena's face as her choice of two stairs would lead to the same place. Her throat was tight and raw as she nodded down to the one who'd been by her side through it all. The one who knew all the risks since day one. The Mightyena didn't approve, but he looked off towards the way to signal he was ready.

And they both charged alone, yet together, up the right staircase to the inevitable finale of this twisted and insufferable mission.

Isaac helplessly stared at her intensely as he watched her go. "Rena, no! You'll get yourself killed!"

* * *

**Holy fucking hell this thing was so long 0-e... Aghhhhhh I want to beat my head bloody against a wall after writing all of this. **

**Okay, I know you're all pissed about the cliffhanger, amongst other things that happened in this chapter, but I'm working my ass off to write chapters 38-40 before next Thursday, so you won't be waiting for much longer. **

**Anyways... Read, review, and enjoy!**


	38. Chapter 38: End of Shadows

**(Third Person POV)**

Mightyena and Rena rapidly ran up the stairs as fast as they could; their feet were pushing them farther towards what was left of the fight. Upon breaking into the night of the rooftop, a subtle, lemony-colored flash escaped from Rena's bag as if the gem was calling out to something. The final gauge on the floor suddenly lit up all the way as the tower's intercom began to broadcast its final announcement. One that sent haunting chills to all who listened.

_"THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRURURURURURURU... THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS NOW LEVEL THREE! LEVEL THREE! LEVELEVELEVELEVEL THREE! THIS IS ALTRU THIS IS ALTRU THIS IS ALTRU ALMIA GHZGZGZ..."_

The rooftop was an eerie grey platform that scratched the skies with a large, almost amethyst-looking crystal hovering above a small pool of darkness towards the back of the rooftop. In front of it rested an ominous crystal orb of some sort on a mechanical dais, and standing in front of it all was Blake Hall himself. Standing off to his left side was Wheeler, and on his right was Heath. The mastermind's inky hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail as his true nature was hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses and a matching black suit.

"Ah, welcome!" Blake Hall clapped his hands together maliciously at the sight of Rena as his face twisted into a spine-shivering smile. "Well, I'll be... I seem to be all out of business cards. How careless of me." He took one step forwards, Rena taking one step back. "Well, I suppose that doesn't really matter. You know who I am, don't you, Raux?"

Rena narrowed her eyes hatefully at the man standing a ways from her, on par with the growling Mightyena.

"From what I've been hearing, this commotion... I understand that it's named Operation _Brighton?" _Blake Hall took another step forwards as he looked around the rooftop, laughing hollowly. "Brighton... That is my father's name. Though a coincidence, I will consider it a family honor."

"Ehehehehheee!" Wheeler snickered with a bitter twist at Mr. Hall's words as his shattering screeches of laughter pierced the night.

Blake Hall turned around to face the Shadow Crystal, his silhouette barely separate from its overpowering darkness. "It's also quite an honor to see someone go through so much _just_ to visit with me."

"Don't flatter yourself." Rena rolled her eyes as she recoiled further from him with a groan. "You know _exactly_ why I'm here."

"Why, because you want to enact your precious little _revenge_ on me?" He mocked her words with a high-toned baby voice, then immediately laughed at his own joke just as a loser would. "Unfortunately for you, you arrived, shall we say...a smidgen too late?"

"Us holding you up did do end up good in the end." Heath commented snarkily, proud of his achievement. Rena shook her head in confusion, having to take a few extra seconds just to understand what the hell he just said.

Blake Hall turned around to face Rena once again, his dark glasses reflecting the crystal in the moonlight. "Yes, I would say it's been only _minutes_ since the Incredible Machine attained full power. But now, its reach extends to the Almia region in its entirety." He chuckled as he looked at his surroundings, holding his hands out to his sides. "This brings _all_ the Pokemon in Almia under my full and complete control. They are all mine to do my bidding, and my bidding alone."

"Pokemon have minds of their _own_." Rena snapped at him, stepping protectively in front of Mightyena. "No one should be allowed to have that much power!"

Blake Hall began pondering out loud his new skills. "I can have them excavating and mining. I can use them as cargo transports. Pokemon can be used individually to make electricity. Or those that make heat or push great volumes of water can be used to power major electrical plants." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Or, consider it if you will, a time of crisis. What if we are being threatened by outsiders? In such times, it would be hard to argue against Pokemon as soldiers."

"Soldiers!?" Rena involuntarily shouted her surprise and disgust. "You can't force them to do that, Hall!" She bitterly expressed her opinion, having Mightyena in mind. She would never send her best friend off to war, even if it meant sacrificing her _own_ life to save his.

"Of course I can!" He immediately dismissed her concerns without giving it a second thought as he spat his crazed words to her. "This is the dream energy machine that is _fueled_ by Pokemon! Wouldn't you agree that description is a fitting one?"

"_This_ is the new dream energy you guys have been working on...?" Rena started to look around at the controls of the Incredible Machine in absolute _revulsion_ and horror, flashing back to all of the prior announcements Altru had made about their new developments.

Wheeler raced in-between Rena and Blake Hall anxiously, his broccoli hair fluttering in the night wind. "Mr. Hall, sir. Mr. Hall! If I may say so, sir, your wise words are but sadly wasted on this... _Uncouth_ child." The pudding-cup man that she had grudgingly spoken with the night before interrupted their conversation with his whining, bumbling voice. "Perhaps a light meal will prompt _it_ to leave us be. Eheheheheeeeh!" He cackled to himself once more before turning to look at Rena with his lopsided face. "Listen, child. Let dear old Wheeler here give you a light snack. For my own satisfaction, really. Now what shall it be? A knuckle sandwich? Or a judo chop suey? Or, or... Why don't you become my friend's snack instead?"

Rena watched as Wheeler used the Incredible Machine's great power summon a Pokemon to aid him in this fight, and she was preparing herself for...

...a _Bidoof?_

"...what." Rena blinked her eyes owlishly at the agitated Bidoof coming straight for her. Its majestic fluffy mane of chocolate fur whipped in the air as it locked its black orb eyes with the thief. "...Seriously? That's all you've got?" She looped her capture line around the small Pokemon one time with the vibrant Styler line and wasn't all that surprised that was all it took to complete the capture.

"Oh? How very, _very_ odd..." Wheeler scratched his head as he watched the Bidoof come to its senses and flee the scene. "But not to worry. Let me catch my breath, and... Say hello to another little friend! Another Bidoof to take its place!"

Before he could do anything at all, he was violently shoved to the side by Blake Hall, who then marched over towards Rena. "Enough of that." Blake snapped at his sorry excuse for an assistant.

"Ah, Mr. Hall sir, I see, I see, indeed! You wish to toy with the child yourself?" Wheeler tried to make sense of what just happened as he retraced his creepy gaze to look over at Rena. "Child, you should feel privileged. This time, your downfall is assured. Eheeheheeeeehh!" He lost control of his evil laugh, creeping Rena out with just how weird it sounded. Mightyena folded his ears as he crinkled his muzzle at the screeches of laughter.

"Quiet, Wheeler. Don't talk anymore." Blake Hall held out his hand to silence the buffoon, showing that even _he_ could not withstand that horrible noise. "What is this idea of bringing out _Bidoof_ at this point in the proceedings? This isn't _Ranger_ School." Rena sweatdropped at the fact that it still felt like she was in Ranger School right now, since she missed out on all other forms of Ranger training. "By the way, Raux." Blake Hall redirected his gaze to the thief as the corner of his mouth crooked into the faintest smile. "I'm sorry, _Rena_, was it?" He pretended to forget her name briefly out of disrespect. "You don't seem to realize the power of the Incredible Machine. You fail to grasp the enormity of what it represents. Perhaps it's too much for _anyone_ to truly understand..." Blake Hall trailed off to himself before gathering his thoughts. "But everyone _will_ come to accept it when the new dawn arrives. Very soon now, the date will change. Altru will celebrate its new birth. Let me give you a slight taste of what you can expect." Blake Hall smirked as he walked up to the dark purple crystal ball.

Rena was starting to feel a little uneasy, and the hair on the back of her neck rose in anticipation of what might unfold in the next crucial moments. She quickly shared a look with Mightyena before whispering in a low voice, "get ready for whatever is about to happen, boy."

"Arf!" Mightyena eagerly nodded his head happily to his master, excited that he would get to fight some more.

"Perhaps I should summon a Pokemon that is worthy of this occasion. A Pokemon that is worthy of ushering in a new age of darkness..." Blake Hall placed both of his hands on the crystal ball, and the whole thing illuminated the rooftop, throwing its malevolent light across the skies as the mere force of using it sent gusts of air in all directions. "That said, _that_ Pokemon... No. Not it. Not now. Not yet." He quickly changed his mind and dismissed the idea of using _that_ Pokemon at the given moment. "Ah, but this is absolutely wonderful! From here, I have my choice of Pokemon. They are all available for me to summon. Whether they be in herds or alone, they are mine to control as I desire. Gigaremo? Miniremo? No longer necessary." He suddenly stopped when he found what he was looking for, and a sinister grin crept up onto his lips. "Ah! There! A Pokemon perfect for you! I've spotted it in the Haruba Desert."

The Shadow Crystal started to glow black, darkening the world, as Blake summoned the Pokemon, and large pillars on each side of the rooftop began generating a huge amount of electricity that erupted about with sizzling roars. Rena took a nervous step back as she felt the whole tower begin to power up and release a strong pulse into the air, and it was at this very moment that she began to realize just how powerful the Incredible Machine _truly_ was.

She had to shut this thing off, and she had to shut it off _now_.

"The development of this enormous machine took _exceptional_ cost and effort." Blake Hall carelessly turned around and leaned up against one of the pillars. "The project only took off when we placed Kincaid as a teacher in the Ranger School. He succeeded at recruiting a genius who appears maybe once a century."

"Isaac..." The name fell from Rena's lips, and she felt her heart get crushed a little at the thought of Blake Hall using Isaac so heartlessly.

Tearing Rena from her thoughts, a Dusknoir descended from the storming sky and hovered above the ground in front of Blake Hall like a guard dog. The looming ghost Pokemon narrowed its hollow eyes at the sight of Rena, preparing himself for any orders to attack.

"Ah, here we are." Blake Hall clapped his hands together excitedly like a little boy on Christmas. "The Pokemon from the Haruba Desert. The Incredible Machine lets me summon any Pokemon I choose, you see." He held his hand out to introduce Dusknoir, whose stomach opened up like a mouth ready to swallow the thief. "Let me introduce you to my Dusknoir. Dusknoir, this girl has come to join in our celebrations." He pointed his finger at Rena devilishly from across the rooftop. "Give our guest a demonstration of our gratitude!"

"Oh shit...!" Rena didn't have enough time to release her capture disc before the Dusknoir came charging right at her, and she barely hand any time at all to jump out of the way, rolling across the stone-cold roof. It only took a moment for Rena to spin onto all fours, and her eyes locked with the monster before quickly rising back to her feet.

She rapidly began encircling the Dusknoir with her capture line with whatever skill she still had from Ranger School, struggling tremendously. All her scars, both new and old, screamed at each movement, but regardless of that she still had to continue this fight. She got lucky with the last few captures, and she was surprised she got this far with her minimal Ranger training. To Rena's dismay, the Dusknoir repetitively conjured up _unearthly_ violet flames to surround itself, making it that much more impossible for her to capture. The ash-shaded ghost constantly fired off its signature purple fire balls and shadow balls towards her, and most of them _hit_.

Rena was tossed carelessly about by the attacks as she gritted her teeth from the pain and frustration, but she wasn't going to give up. Not after everything that happened in the past two years.

Rena swiftly side-stepped out of the way of yet another shadow ball as it hissed past her shoulder; she barely had any energy left in her to perform this capture.

Unfortunately for her, things were only about to get that much _worse_.

The Dusknoir completely clothes-lined Rena abruptly and sent her crashing to the floor, and Keith's Styler flew off of her wrist and landed ten feet from her.

"No...!" Rena reached for it from her position on the floor, struggling to pull herself back up, but it was no use. The wounds from only a few days ago were tearing at her sides, and she could feel the blood starting to soak her bandages.

Mightyena lunged for the Dusknoir and sunk his teeth into the ghost Pokemon, making the monster secrete a ghostly cry of pain from the super effective attack. The Dusknoir swung its arm hard to shake Mightyena off, and the wolf Pokemon went flying through the air and bashed his skull on one of the electric pillars. The lightning coursed through the canine's body, and the air began to stink of singed fur. He fell to the floor slowly, and his limbs just snapped from underneath the weight that he could no longer carry.

And he didn't get back up.

"MIGHTYENA!" Rena screamed with tears that fell from her eyes like rain does from the sky. She tried to pick herself back up to rush over to her partner's side,  
but could only lift her broken body up so far. So she crawled, pulling herself across the cold roof to where her partner lied.

"This is the end of the line for you." Blake Hall crossed his arms and masked the childish attitude he had earlier with a victorious darkness. "This is what little twerps like you get for even _thinking_ about backing out of Dim Sun." He looked over at his summoned Pokemon and silently nodded his head. "Go ahead. Kill her."

The Dusknoir raised its large hand and began to bring it down on top of her at full speed.

"NO!"

**WHAM!**

Ice ran up the stairs just in time and shielded Rena's body with his own, taking the hit head on. He was sent crashing hard to the ground off to the other side of Rena, groaning from the intense pain he had endured. His gleaming eyes of the ocean crinkled in agony while his body trembled from the attack.

"Ice!" Rena widened her eyes in shock. What the hell did he just do!? That idiot! He could have _died_ just now!

"Pathetic." Blake spat out his annoyance at the sight of Ice. He shook his head, _deeply_ disappointed in his protégé. "You always _were_ more loyal to that little sister of yours than you ever were to me."

...

"Little...sister?" Rena blinked her blue eyes a few times. "Ice, what is he talking about?" She looked over at the blue-haired man beginning to stand up. She herself found the strength to rise back to her feet, shakily staring at the man who was _allegedly_ on her side.

Blake Hall glanced at the look of terror he saw flash onto Ice's face suddenly and busted out _laughing_. "Wait, you didn't tell her? I thought she knew, and that's why she tried to leave!" He rested his hand on his stomach as he just kept on laughing. "Now this is just _rich_."

"Ice..." Rena stood up and stared right at him as her gaze wavered. "What is he talking about?"

"I..." Ice stared down at the floor and jammed his hands into his coat pockets. "I tried to tell you before, but..."

His half-assed answer was all it took for Rena to realize this wasn't just some joke, and it was all true. She felt like someone had just walked up behind her and smashed a vase over her head, because she honestly couldn't believe _this_. Her whole reality of everything she ever knew _shattered_ around her as she looked into his eyes, which were the exact same icy-blue as her _own_. She never even noticed that before.

"Are you trying to tell me..." She nervously laughed, shaking with anger as she shut her eyes. "That you're my... _Brother?"_

Ice shamefully directed his gaze to the floor, not having the courage to tell her the truth. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner..."

"You're _sorry_...?" Rena stared at him unbelievably as her anger started to bubble over the top. "Sorry!?" She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "What the hell, Ice!? I grew up all alone and thought I had been abandoned at that orphanage because no one ever _wanted_ me!" She shouted at him as she angrily grabbed his collar. "I thought I had no family, and it turns out I've actually just had a cowardly older brother who could have taken care of me this whole _time!?" _She shoved him back with an angry look in her blue eyes. "I grew up on the streets for god's sake!"

"I know, and I'm sorry!" Ice stared at her with his intense look of remorse. "I was fifteen, stupid, and selfish when mom and dad died and left me all alone to take care of you..." He watched her heart break right before him as he mentioned their dead parents.

"My parents," Rena blinked over and over again, but the tears just wouldn't stop coming. "My _real_ parents are...dead?" She almost choked on those forced words.

The time around them seemed to freeze. Nothing mattered at that moment to Rena. Not Blake Hall. Not Operation Brighton. Not the damn Dusknoir. Not the Shadow Crystal, or the flying Rangers circling overhead.

Just...the truth.

"It was a mugging gone wrong." Ice kicked at the ground aimlessly. "You weren't even a year old yet, and I was at home babysitting you when I got the call." He looked dreadful as he relayed this terrible story to his sister. "Mr. Hall, mom and dad's other partner from work, came to me soon after that and offered me a job, a place to stay, and security."

"So he took you in after that...?" She hollowly stared straight ahead at him as the words fell quiet from her lips.

"There was just one catch." Ice nodded his head to answer her question. "I had to leave _you_ behind..."

Rena's watery eyes widened as something dawned on her. "_You_ were the one who left me on that doorstep with the letter and mom's bracelet..."

Ice refused to meet her gaze as she figured it out. "I was a scared kid, and I selfishly accepted his offer. I didn't know how to take care of a baby, so I thought you would be better off _without_ me..." He forcibly jammed his hands further down into his coat pockets, ripping the lining slightly. "I regretted letting you go as soon as I did it, and I started to look for you again a couple years later."

"_You_ were the source all this time..." Rena blinked at Ice owlishly as she tore her gaze over to Blake Hall. "The source that told _him_ how to find me..." Blake Hall watched their conversation with a wicked grin on his face.

"About five years ago..." Ice recounted memories of the past as he looked up at Rena. "He asked me to track down a notorious thief named Raux. At the time, I had _no idea_ it was you..."

"So that's how this all started..." A heavy weight seemed to be lifted from her shoulders as she sighed deeply. "I _thought_ it was strange how the boss found me so easily..."

"Oh believe me, it _wasn't_ easy..." Ice shook his head quickly. "You were virtually nonexistent. Still kinda are."

Rena glared at him harshly as she returned her injured Mightyena to his Pokeball to rest up. "I can't believe you never said anything, or that I never even suspected..."

"I'm sorry..." Ice suddenly enveloped Rena in his arms, pressing his chin on top of her head, wanting to make her not be sad anymore. "I'll never leave you again. I promise..."

"How _repulsive_." Blake commented to Heath and Wheeler with a dark chuckle. "Sorry to break up such a heartfelt reunion between siblings, but I'm just too disgusted by how much you two remind me of your parents..." He was snide and arrogant about such a delicate matter with every venomous word he spoke. "Having them killed was perhaps the best decision I _ever_ made."

...

Rena's blood ran cold at those last few words as she turned to look at Ice. "I thought you said our parents were killed in a mugging..."

Ice seemed just as surprised as she was. "Y-you..." He stared unbelievably at Blake Hall, the man who had taken care of him for the past twenty years. "You _what!?"_

Blake Hall chuckled at Ice's fiery temper. "It is exactly as I said." He stepped down a few of the stairs to approach the two siblings. To him, revealing such things to them now wouldn't matter, for he believed they would _die_ soon enough. "They were my business partners way back when I took over running Altru, and when I pitched the idea of Dim Sun and dream energy, your parents flat out _refused_." He huffed and crossed his arms. "Naturally, I had to have them killed. They knew too much."

Ice and Rena visibly surged with anger, and all that did was amuse Blake Hall to no end. So of _course_ he just had to add more boiling water to the pot.

"They weren't the only ones who refused to support me." He menacingly grinned over at Rena. "Your father, the _original_ Raux, also refused to go with the same job you ended up accepting years later. So of course I had _him_ killed too."

Rena slapped a hand over her mouth as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. "N-no...! It can't be true!"

"And naturally I tried to have Joseph killed for betraying me." Blake paced back and forth menacingly. "He went through the trouble of designing the Incredible Machine just to refuse to hand over the blueprints to me in the end because it was too 'dangerous.'" He laughed at how incredibly _stupid_ that sounded to him. "We arranged several assassination attempts over the years, but of course that _prick_ just had to up his security and foil every plot we designed..."

Rena was falling apart on the inside with every word he spoke. So many people have died for this cause, and this whole thing was a _lot_ bigger than she could have ever imagined. It was bigger than all of them.

"And you," Blake quickly leveled his snide, grinning face with Ice. "I never actually cared about you. I only took you in because I thought you would be useful in my plans." He glanced over at Rena, deepening his spine-chilling grin. "I wasn't wrong."

Ice could have sworn someone had just stabbed him right through the heart. His parents were murdered by the same man who pretended to care about him all this time, and he voluntarily worked and _sided_ with this man...!? Just how many lies had everyone been telling him about why he was really recruited!?

Blake leveled his gaze with Rena from behind his dark sunglasses. "I hired several other contract thieves to steal the Incredible Machine's blueprint back from Joseph Dazzle, but they all _failed_." He recounted his _intense_ disappointments of the past. "After I began to lose hope, I had Ice look into the illegitimate daughter Sam Monroe had been training to be his successor so intensely." He looked at Rena in disgust. "But what a disappointment _you_ turned out to be."

Rena's face was so pale it looked like she would collapse from exhaustion at any second. This was just all too much to take in...

Ice was her older brother. Her _real_ parents? They worked for Altru and were murdered by Blake Hall because they didn't want to follow his movement to create the dream energy and Team Dim Sun. And then _her_ father, Sam Monroe, had been murdered because the job he accepted when she was fourteen, the job he had specifically asked her to _not_ go on because he thought it was too dangerous...

It was the very same job Blake Hall had offered her two years ago, which almost got her killed as well.

"Rena...!" Ice quickly caught Rena as her legs gave out, and he winced from the strain that put on his arm.

Blake Hall watched Rena collapse like the Vullaby he was, grinning at just how much his ego was boosted by this. "Don't get too full of yourself. You're sorely mistaken if you think you've won." He watched Ice try to shake his sister to get her to snap out of it and regain her energy. "Don't you understand? I've _already_ won." He turned to face his marvelous Shadow Crystal, basking in its dark luminescence fondly. "So long as I have the Incredible Machine, I can keep summoning Pokemon whenever and from wherever I choose, and I can summon as many as I wish. It's physically impossible for me to lose. Do you understand _now?"_

Ice pulled Rena to her feet and slapped her face lightly to get her snap out of it. "Rena, pull yourself together!" He shook his sister by the arms violently, desperately trying to reach her in her shocked state.

Rena blinked at Ice tiredly, pulling herself from her thoughts. "I..." She hesitated as she glanced around at her surroundings, suddenly remembering her mission. "No. I can't... No." She turned to face Hall as she gripped her bag that was swung around her shoulder, stepping closer to the Shadow Crystal.

The yellow gem within her bag let out a bright flash of hopeful light in response to inching closer to the dark power, sending Blake Hall into a state of panic.

"What was that yellow flash just now?" Blake Hall's eyes immediately dashed over towards Rena's bag in fear. He didn't need to ask what that was, for he knew. "You... What are you hiding from me!?" His face grew serious as he felt a hinting suspicion of what that was creep up under his skin.

"Oh, nothing really. Just _this_." Rena jerked the crescent-shaped gem from her bag and presented it to the air as she stepped closer to the Shadow Crystal, causing it to flash again even brighter this time.

Blake Hall seemed so shocked at first, but that look quickly melted into a look of fury as he turned to Heath with an icy-cold stare as the flames of hell shot up from behind him.

"Uh..." Heath felt his confidence begin to falter under such a _terrifying_ glare. "We are meaning to reporting earlier, but we three failing at protecting yellow gem, sir. Not thinking that you will forgiving us, but... But, sir, boss, you having that Pokemon already, so okay, I am hoping..." Heath rambled on and on incoherently, but then again, that was pretty normal for him anyways, considering the dumbass couldn't even properly speak _English_.

"You blundering OAF!" Blake Hall surged with anger as he gripped Heath by the collar, slamming his back into the crystal ball's podium. "It was _crucial_ that the three gems be kept apart from each other!" His eyes flashed blood-red as he glared at the buffoon. "All we needed was to retain _one_ of them! Just one! If we keep even one, the Shadow Crystal can't be harmed! Did you not _understand_ that?" He shook him furiously.

Heath pulled himself out of Hall's tight hold on him and backed up a bit, intimidated by his intense rage.

"You _incompetents_ failed to protect the yellow gem _and_ the barrier, and now you expect _that_ Pokemon to cover for your repeated mistakes?" Blake Hall scoffed at Heath unbelievably. "This takes some _nerve!" _Heglared at Heath terrifyingly with a deadly venom coating each word he hissed. "You don't even have the courage or the wits to run like Lavana. Yes, you _do_ have a lot of nerve to show your face when you failed yet again!" He only angered himself more with each passing second.

Rena just stayed quiet for most of the time and listened, wondering what was this Pokemon they repeatedly kept talking about. She quietly began shuffling closer and closer to the dark crystal as Blake Hall was too occupied spitting at his subordinates.

"B-but... I staying here because... I am so worrying about you, boss..." Heath stammered involuntarily, holding up a single finger to defend himself with.

"Silence! Save your worthless concerns!" Blake Hall briskly swung his arm to cut across the air, silencing him. "I have no need for underlings now! With the Incredible Machine, all Almia's Pokemon are my servants!"

"NOT A CHANCE!"

Rena flinched when she heard that shout from up above, recognizing that voice immediately. It was unmistakable.

Sven.

"Hall! We can hear you raving even up here! Rena, get ready! We'll put the finishing touches on Operation Brighton!" Sven called down to the brunette, boosting her confidence just the slightest bit as her arms curled in anticipation.

Wendy rose her voice as she waved down to Rena. "The three gems have to be brought close to the Shadow Crystal! Rena, get your yellow gem as close as possible to it!"

"Roger that!" Rena cupped her hands over her mouth, shouting back up to the two flying Rangers with their gems at the ready.

"This is it, folks!" An excited smirk danced across Sven's lips as he directed his Staraptor to do a nose dive towards the Shadow Crystal, blue gem in hand. The tear-shaped stone that held the hopes of the region's future.

Wendy gripped her red gem firmly, its flame shape mirroring the vigor in her heart. "Staraptor, we're going in!" She called out to her partner Pokemon over the roaring winds the Incredible Machine whipped and roared to life.

"You think that's clever, Rangers!?" Blake Hall, who numbingly fell further into his darkness-corrupted insanity, felt unthreatened as the gems grew closer to the Shadow Crystal, having one final trick up his sleeve. "You leave me no choice. _That_ Pokemon will be unleashed."

"What are you talking about?" Rena glared at his back quizzically as Hall marched towards the crystal ball once more.

"Ah, what _fortuitous_ timing... Midnight has finally arrived!" Blake Hall practically _sang_ his excitement when he heard the loud gong of Pueltown's clock tower reverberate throughout the port city, greeting the new age of darkness he believed was coming. "On Altru's day of birth, let your presence be shown in all its dark glory!" Blake Hall began to power up the Incredible Machine as he placed his hands on the crystal ball, withstanding the powerful wind and electricity being kicked up as a result. "Now, awaken from the darkness! Rise, my Darkrai!"

Rena's voice box nearly fell out of her mouth as she screamed her distress over the Incredible Machine's _extraordinary_ loud power. "Darkrai!? Hall, are you out of your damn _mind!?"_

Both Sven and Wendy's Staraptor got spooked by an eerie darkness that began to seep through the cracks of the rooftop's tile flooring, and they quickly retreated and flew up higher into the sky, despite their Ranger's commands.

"A Pokemon that stores the energy of darkness within its body... _That_ is Darkrai. It is the most beloved of _all_ my Pokemon!" Blake Hall grinned so happily with satisfaction gleaming in his eyes, feeling as if Darkrai was the only one who could _really_ understand him. "Dusknoir, you're dismissed." Blake waved off the ghostly beast carelessly as he watched what was about to unfold with a deadly grin.

Rena fell to her knees as a violent tremor sent her crashing to the floor, and she winced from the awkward position she fell into. Her heeled boots left a skid mark as she was sent flying to the side, and the wind was nearly knocked out of her as her stomach hit the floor _hard_. The Incredible Machine emitted so many electrical currents that all of the machinery began to release thick plumes of smoke, and the dark clouds overhead only grew more intense.

"Eheheheheeeeh!" Wheeler laughed at Rena from her position on the floor.

"RENA!" Ice quickly dashed across the rooftop and gripped his sister's torso as a dark void began to surface beneath her, and he immediately pulled her off to the side.

Ice recklessly threw his sister out of the way and into safety, but as he went to join her, an oily-black hand emerged from the shadows and gripped Ice's ankle, knocking him off his feet as it began to drag him closer and closer to the center of the void.

"NO! ICE!" Rena shouted in terror as she reached out to grab Ice's hand, but he just barely missed and slipped from her grip.

"RENA!" He looked back at her panicked face, just as terrified as she was.

The brunette watched in terror as more and more of the inky blobs from the darkness shifted into hands and tentacles that wrapped around Ice's body, dragging him down into the pit of darkness. The blue-haired man yelled with surprise and protested the whole way down, only thinking of his sister as he called out to her one last time.

"RENA!" Ice began to be smothered by the dark tentacles that wrapped themselves around his face. "RENA, RUN..." But a deformed tentacle of darkness soon clasped over his mouth to drag him further down, and his screams were muted even though his eyes roared.

He was suddenly sucked in all the way and disappeared from Rena's sight completely as a dark shadow emerged from the void in her brother's place.

Darkrai.

Darkrai's terrifying red eyes looked exactly like Ice's when he lost control of his mind, confirming her devastating suspicion of what _exactly_ had happened to him after she had been shot.

The legendary Pokemon _notorious_ for spreading fear and nightmares had brainwashed her brother, and now that he had taken Ice captive, he was about to do the exact same for _her_.

Rena kept her brother's last words in mind as she slowly took step after step backwards, nearly falling down some of the small steps behind her as the Darkrai crept closer.

"Go on, Darkrai!" Blake Hall laughed impatiently at the Pokemon who was just _toying_ with the thief. "Invite this hero-fixated child to your world of darkness!"

"Ehehehehehehe!" Wheeler rubbed his hands together as a creepy grin formed on his lips.

"Darkrai, snap out of it..." Rena's warning tone of voice failed to reach the dark Pokemon's ears as she continued to keep a fair amount of space between herself and him. "Don't do this!" She tripped and fell hard to the floor, unable to do anything as the Darkrai pushed the dark void he had conjured underneath her frail and breaking body. "NO!" She shrieked as the black tentacles of darkness shot up and grabbed at her legs, slowly pulling her down into the pits of hell. Rena refused to let this be the end of her as she thrashed about, trying to fight it as best as she could. "DAMMIT! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME!" She yelled in a panic as she became engulfed in darkness, inch by inch.

...

_"What are you __really__ afraid of?"_

* * *

The reality around Rena suddenly grew hazy as that...that _voice_ entered her mind, and she wasn't really sure what happened. The last thing she remembered was being pulled into the darkness by Darkrai, but now?

...where _was_ she?

"Hello...?" Rena looked around her at the pitch-black room she was in, only able to see herself from standing directly underneath a small spotlight that was ominously the only thing _inside_ this room. She was surrounded by nothing but darkness. "...Is anyone here?"

Silence.

She shivered and rubbed her arms briskly as a cold chill entered the room, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard a familiar voice address her. A voice that froze her blood, and a voice that held her heart with a simple word.

"...Princess?"

Rena's body became almost unmovable, and she nearly refused to believe it. She fought with herself on whether she should turn around or not, but she already knew the answer: she had to. She had to know. And when she did turn around, involuntary tears slipped from her eyes. "FATHER!"

Sam Monroe laughed happily as his daughter leapt into his arms, and he hugged her back so tightly that it was almost as if he ever let go, he would lose her forever. She held him just the same, afraid if she let go, he'd vanish like the ghost he was. "I'm so glad to see you're okay, Princess..."

"Father..." She looked up at his happy eyes with tears beginning to cascade from her own. "I've missed you so, _so_ much..."

"I've missed you too..." He ruffled her hair playfully with a sad smile stretched across his lips. "Wow... You've grown up to be such a beautiful woman. How old are you now?"

"Nineteen!" Rena hastily answered, completely elated to be able to have a conversation with her father again. Her heart was on fire with the joy that this couldn't be actually happening, but it was. Right?

"I've been gone that long, huh?" Sam chuckled depressingly, running a hand through his dusty short hair.

"Yeah..." Rena stared down at the dark floor before hugging him once again. "I've been so lost without your guidance... Mightyena and I both have missed you so much..."

"Hah, somehow I doubt that." Sam shook his head at his daughter with a saddened smirk painted across his lips so delicately. "Not about missing me, but about being lost."

"Huh?" Rena blinked up at him with the confusion of a small child glinting in her eyes.

"You were always so independent as a child. Don't you remember?" He looked at her quizzically, amused by her reaction. "You hardly ever listened to a thing I said, and you usually did your own thing."

"Did I... Really?" Rena wracked her brain for some sort of memory of this from her childhood, but nothing was really coming to mind.

Sam laughed heartily at her forgetfulness. "Oh yeah, definitely!" He patted her on the head in admiration. "You never really needed me for much of anything. Once I was done training you, you were a lone wolf."

"Oh..." Rena's eyes flickered down to the floor in disappointment. "Even so, I... I failed you. I threw my career away all because I..." She choked on the words, not able to make herself say it. "...fell in love with someone."

She was expecting her father to be furious with her, but really...

"_You_...fell in love?" Sam poked her forehead accusingly with a strange look on his face. "Ah...hah...AHAHAH!" Sam doubled over _laughing_, and tears were nearly brought to his eyes from just how funny this was to him.

Rena's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "Wh-what's so funny!?"

Sam got a hold of himself as he patted his daughter on the head. "I'm just so... Happy for you."

"You're _happy?" _Rena nearly doubled over in shock. "I thought you would be pissed!"

"Rena, I _never_ wanted this life for you..." Sam shook his head as he looked into her eyes. You could almost see the memories dancing behind his eyes as he raised her, the way his eyebrows furrowed together in almost a depressed frustration. "_You _did."

All Rena could manage to do in order to form a proper response was blink at him repeatedly. "..._huh!?"_

Sam rested his hands on her shoulders. "When you were a little girl, I took you in because I liked your fiery spirit, _not_ because I wanted you to be my successor." He smiled at her wryly. "Rena, I became Raux not just because I had the skill to, but because I was lonely. I had no wife or kids, so I picked a dangerous job that didn't allow for luxuries like that to make up for it..."

"Then why...?" Rena shook her head unbelievably at him, unable to comprehend this.

"Don't get me wrong, I _lived_ for our nights of action and adventure together." He lightly punched her in the shoulder. "But...I always wanted a better life for you. Maybe settle down one day and get married, buy a house, I don't know..." He embarrassingly scratched the back of his head with a nervous grin.

Rena just now realized she had been holding her breath as she suddenly exhaled sharply. "So... You're _not_ mad?"

"Not at all." Sam smiled at her brightly. "I just wish I could be there for the wedding..."

"Father!" Rena embarrassingly shouted in protest as she punched him hard to distract him from her reddened cheeks. "I never said _anything_ about getting married!"

Sam busted out into a fit of laughter at his daughter's response, but he quickly grew worried when he saw the grim look on her face. "Princess, what is it?"

"Umm..." Her eyes flickered down to the floor once more. "Is the reason I can see and talk to you because I..." She averted her eyes from his worried stare. "...because I'm dead?"

He thoughtfully smiled at her with a wistful twist to his grin. "No, Princess. You're not dead. You're just...hallucinating."

"Hallucinating?" She blinked at him over and over again. "Why..." It suddenly dawned on her what was going on, and she grew very, very sad all of a sudden. "Darkrai... This is the effect of being sucked into the darkness, isn't it?"

Sam nodded his head. "Didn't you hear me? I asked you what you were really afraid of as soon as you came in."

"That was you?" She stared up into his eyes, more lost than ever before.

"The effect of Darkrai's dark power is that you are sucked from your reality and are faced with your worst fears." He smiled at her fondly as he tilted his head to the side. "The only way you can fight it is to face your fears and defeat them."

Rena shook her head and scoffed at her father incredulously. "Well bring on the thunder storms! I need to get back already." She impatiently tapped her foot, looking around the room of endless darkness.

Sam smiled depressingly as he placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Princess, your worst fear _isn't_ thunder."

Rena felt her whole body tense up at her father's comment. "Then... What is it?"

"...me." Sam's eyes darted to the floor uncomfortably, trying not to laugh at this awkward moment.

Rena threw her head back and scoffed at just how _ridiculous_ that sounded. "What? Father, I'm not afraid of you..."

"I know that." Sam dismissed her comment. "You're not afraid of me, Rena. You're afraid of everyone else you love in this world ending up _like_ me."

Rena's heart shattered like broken glass when her thoughts immediately flickered to Keith. He was the first person she thought of, and she suddenly felt her intense amount of worry for him that she had _tried_ to ignore for the sake of Operation Brighton start to eat away at her soul once more.

Sam smiled at her thoughtfully. "See?" He poked her in the forehead playfully. "Thunderstorms only remind you of what you're _really_ afraid of."

"The night you died..." She kept her eyes glued to the floor, feeling the overwhelming sadness overtake her. It felt like every string that held her together inside snapped at once, leaving her to shatter. Her fists balled up as she recalled there was a storm the night she lost her father.

_"Foolish girl! Go into the world of darkness!" _Blake Hall's snickering voice forced itself into the room, and Rena looked around her, startled by suddenly hearing him.

_"Eheheheheh!" _She then picked up on Wheeler's unmistakable laugh, and she questionably looked over at her father for answers to what was going on.

"It's time for you to go." He placed a kiss on her forehead one last time. Sam's haunting eyes brought the heartbreaking memories to the surface once more. But she couldn't fall apart, even if she was already losing pieces of herself. "Good-bye, Princess."

A single tear slipped from Rena's eye. Her lungs filled to the brim with air as she finally faced it all with a final smile, "I'll see you soon..."

"Oh no..." Her father chuckled, shaking his head at her. "I better not see you anytime soon, you hear me? Live a long, happy life with the person you love. You couldn't keep your last promise with me, so now I want you to keep this one instead."

Rena reached out to grab her father's hand for the last time as his image was beginning to blow away with the wind. "Father, no...!"

"Promise me." The echo of Sam Monroe smiled one final time at his child who was finally all grown up, before there was nothing left for her to grasp.

He was gone.

Tear after tear fell from Rena's beautiful blue eyes as she stared at where her father once stood. The salty beads fell to her feet as she finally forced a trembling smile, "I promise..."

* * *

Rena suddenly snapped her eyes open and tuned back into her surroundings. She was being pulled into the dark void by Darkrai, and she was nearly swallowed whole by the darkness, and all she could think to do was hug the yellow gem tightly against her chest. It seemed to repel the darkness ever so slightly, and as her last ounce of hope, she outstretched her hand, _wishing_ someone would grab it and pull her out. The last vain attempt as only shadows were left to take her.

...

"RENA!"

The thief yelped with surprised when someone's rough, calloused hand grabbed hers, and she was suddenly lifted from the void. The chilly night enveloped her, free from the climbing darkness. Someone wrapped their muscular arms tightly around her waist and lifted her up onto something very feathery, and she didn't dare to release her hold on the gem the whole time. When she hesitantly opened her eyes, Rena noticed she was sitting up front on a Staraptor, and the one who was flying it had their arms wrapped around her as they directed the bird's path.

Rena turned her head around slowly in confusion, and she almost fell off the Staraptor from shock. "Ke...KEITH!?" She whirled around all of the way on the Staraptor this time, positioning herself to face him directly.

"Jheeze, how many times have I had to save your sorry ass _now!?" _Keith barked at her angrily as he completely paid no attention to Rena's scared, yet relieved face. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around her frail, skinny waist as he circled the top of Altru Tower.

**SLAP!**

Keith clutched his burning cheek in shock as Rena glared at him immensely. "Oh my god, will you just shut up already!?" She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "I don't even care! I'm just so glad that you're _alive_..." She whimpered worriedly as she pressed her face into his shoulder. She felt her tears starting to prickle at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She'd done enough crying that night.

Now, it was all starting to come back together. The pieces of her shattered heart were slowly becoming whole once more.

Keith blinked repeatedly in shock as his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. She...slapped him? Wow...she must have been really worried about him. He fought everything inside of him to not smile at the thought of _that_.

He looked down at the brunette clutching onto him tightly with a grim frown, thinking to himself_, "sorry, Rena..." _as he continued to fly his Staraptor. "...that attack sent me flying to the Vien Forest's lookout ridge. The guy with the snack cart and his mom had to wake me up."

"You better have not got your pathetic ass hurt!" She stared into his Ruby-red irises worriedly before looking him over. Despite her cold words, she truly cared.

"I'm a bit banged up, but it's nothing I can't handle." Keith quickly dismissed her worry bluntly, shaking it off with a signature smolder. "Alright, time to touch down..."

Keith directed his Staraptor to land back down on Altru's rooftop, and scooped Rena up before dismounting together. Keith quickly picked up his discarded Styler off of the floor just a few feet away and equipped it to his right wrist, turning to face a very pissed off Blake Hall and Darkrai.

"Blasted Rangers..." Blake Hall cursed underneath his breath, pissed off beyond words that they were both still alive. "I'll make you _regret_ ever have taken up arms against me!" He turned around and gripped the crystal ball again, chuckling darkly underneath his hushed breath. "The Incredible Machine actually has another level of power beyond level three! The forbidden level... The dark level!"

"Yikes! Mr. President, sir! Not that!" Wheeler's smile was slapped off his face as he looked over at his boss worriedly. "You mustn't do that! You've said it yourself: there is no telling what the dark level will bring about!" He tried to make Hall see reason, waving his hands back and forth defensively.

Rena found no point in interjecting. She was smart enough to know the Altru president was far, _far_ beyond reason to be saved.

"B-boss... Even me, I not following you anymore." Heath hesitated to shake his head as he took a step back. "No more, I cannot..."

Blake Hall held no care for the protests of his inferior subordinates as he blatantly ignored them. With both hands clasped around the control sphere, he switched the Incredible Machine onto the dark level, immediately turning every green light that illuminated the roof into a deep blood red. The most violent tremor Rena had withstood erupted through the tower, and Keith held onto her tightly as they endured both this and the harsh winds that screamed and roared, threatening to tear a scar into Almia's skies. The Incredible Machine pulsed with such malevolent electric beams erupting through the pillars, shaking every piece of machinery uncontrollably.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Rena held onto Keith tightly as she shouted her question to him over the loud noise.

Keith gritted his teeth as the wind tried to knock him off his feet, not letting Rena go. He wasn't going to lose her this time. "I DON'T KNOW!"

Darkrai started to shake from _unbearable_ pain that was coursing through its ghostly existence. His eyes seemed to grow even more irritated and red, and the dark energy surrounding him only expanded. Shadows prowled around, ready to snap up anyone in their way as Darkrai let out a earth-shattering howl of agony.

"Keith, get ready." Rena narrowed her eyes and held up her fists defensively, preparing for a fight.

"Got it." Keith switched on his Styler and began getting ready for what would surely be the toughest capture he would _ever_ perform.

"This is it, the dark level!" Blake Hall called Keith and Rena's attention to him once more. "The forbidden power known only to the infinity that is darkness!" He turned around briskly as he locked his firm gaze on his beloved bringer of darkness. "My Darkrai, your age has arrived, but there is a job you must first complete..." He redirected his evil grin up towards the sky. "Swat down the annoying pests flying overhead!"

"NO!" Both Rena and Keith shouted fruitlessly to protest Hall's command, reaching out their hands as if that would stop the Darkrai from obeying.

But...the Darkrai? He didn't listen...

Darkrai curled its head around to face the opposite direction of where Blake Hall was looking, and he held his demonic hands up to summon the dark void once more. His eyes that dripped with the color of human blood were raging with twisted abomination. Except, this time...

The puddle of screaming shadows surfaced beneath _Wheeler_.

"Yikes!" Wheeler yelped out of shock when he looked down at what had grabbed a hold of his leg, noticing the dark void he was standing over. "Mr. President, help!" The demonic tentacles began pulling him down into the darkness, and he was already shoulder-deep after a few seconds. His beady eyes pleading for any last light to save him.

Blake Hall reluctantly tore his gaze from the sky and spun around to see what was going on. As his eyebrows shot up with a taste of disdain, he nervously backed up and away from Darkrai; his feet fumbling against one another. "D-Darkrai!? What is the meaning of this...?" He shook his head back and forth unbelievably. "Stop it! Stop this at once!" Blake commanded without any success, at a loss for words when the Darkrai completely dismissed him as if he was nothing but a small scrap of _garbage_.

In return, Darkrai made this dark void grow wider as he began pulling Wheeler in, further and further... His cries piercing the night like a knife to the heart.

Keith and Rena couldn't do anything but _watch_ in complete and utter shock.

"Mr. President!" Wheeler cried out one final time, but by the time the plea fully escaped his lips, he had been fully pulled into the darkness.

He was gone.

"Mr. Wheeler!" Heath was as white as a ghost as he watched the floor swallow up the dark void, closing it off. "No more! I no want this! I going home to the country!" He quickly shook his head and ran like hell, intending on running _far_ away from this place before he was next.

Blake turned his back on the Darkrai to face the direction Heath just ran off in. "Heath, wait! Stay!" He outstretched his hand pathetically as a sorry attempt to stop him. "I can make you the next Altru President! Don't go..." As his whimpering voice fell on deaf ears, Blake suddenly felt his feet begin to sink. Fearfully, he looked down at the floor and helplessly watched a dark void open up beneath _him_ next. "Darkrai, what are you doing? The Ranger is that way!" He pointed a shaky finger over at Keith as he glared into Darkrai's terrifying eyes. "Stop this, Darkrai! Don't! Don't pull me into the darkness!" Seconds before the tentacles of darkness pulled him all the way down under, Blake cried out one last thing to Keith. "Ranger! Save me!"

With a swift flick of his wrist, the Darkrai closed up the dark void completely, sending Blake Hall to who knows where.

Rena started to panic as she couldn't see or hear anyone from above any longer. The dark, swirling clouds up above grew darker and thicker, and they swirled faster and faster. It was as if the Darkrai's rage was causing the storm to pick up incredibly.

Keith leveled his gaze with the Darkrai as he released his capture disc firmly, charging forwards with Buizel to begin his capture. "CAPTURE ON!"

All Rena could do was watch helplessly from the sidelines as Keith tried to capture the shadow ball-shooting legendary with _impossible_ speed and great skill. She wished she could help somehow... But what could she really do in this situation?

Nothing.

Buizel assisted his master by entrapping Darkrai in large water bubbles for seconds at a time, but something was wrong. Rena noticed it. Keith noticed it. _Buizel_ noticed it.

Keith hesitantly looked down at his Styler screen and saw that he had made absolutely _zero_ progress in capturing the Darkrai after five minutes straight of looping. Not even _one_ percent was complete.

"What the...?" Keith barely had any time to pause and wonder his thought out loud before Darkrai's extended his shadowy claws, slashing across Keith's chest. "OOF!" He was launched backwards and slammed against the wall behind him, head making contact with the wall first.

"KEITH!" Rena ran towards her partner as tears threatened to sting the corners of her eyes, panicking even more when she saw him not even _try_ to get up.

Darkrai closed up his mind, and Keith could no longer even _attempt_ to get any feelings across to him.

"Keith, snap out of it!" Rena crashed down to her knees in front of his crippled body, beginning to shake his shoulders violently. "Come on, Keith! Wake up!"

Buizel was sent into a state of utter panic as he slapped Keith's face lightly with his tail, trying to aid Rena in waking him up.

But it wasn't working.

Keith layed limp in Rena's arms, covered in scratched, cuts, and burns. He had clearly lied to her about just how much damage he had sustained from that Magmortar attack earlier. Gashes tore into him, blood smearing as it mingled with the thick gloss of salt-stinging sweat.

Rena took notice of all of the injuries he had been covering up earlier, and she glared at him fiercely. "Urrrgh...you idiot! I can't believe you lied to me!" Her eyes widened when she saw a small puddle of moisture begin to soak through his jacket. "No, no, no...!"

Rena immediately ripped off Keith's red jacket only to find thick clots of blood soaking through his black and white undershirt, originating from the spot on his chest where his heart was. A dark blackness oozed around the claw-shaped wound, and she quickly became worried when she saw the darkness begin to seep into Keith's bloodstream.

Seconds and seconds ticked by, and Keith lost more blood and grew very, _very_ pale; his feathery hairs of fire falling short of life. Rena refused to give up on him as she shook him even more, starting to feel him begin to grow cold. His skin became clammed up as his life withered away.

"No, Keith! Come on!" She disregarded all of the blood as she firmly applied pressure to the wound with her hands, getting soaked in his blood herself. "Don't you die on me, you idiot!"

Darkrai simply looked down on the two puny humans beneath him. Pathetic. One was clearly dead, or was at least on the way there, and the other was trying to save him.

Pathetic.

He just didn't understand why that girl was even _trying_. That Ranger boy was _clearly_ a lost cause. He would be dead within seconds based on how much blood was pooling from the gash Darkrai had left on his chest.

Shadow claw attacks from a Darkrai like him were nothing _but_ fatal.

He almost found it amusing to watch these mere _worms_ struggle.

Rena was slowly starting to realize that Keith was slipping away, and this time, there really wasn't anything she could do about it. Her heart, one which had been numb for so long, was now shattering into irreparable fragments.

Keith rolled his eyes up to look at her one last time before they quickly flickered shut. His final breath was stolen away in a split second, forbidding him from saying anything he really wanted to say to her before it was too late. His lips shaped the words before being left to hang.

There was nothing left within.

"N-no..." Rena shook her head in disbelief, then shook Keith a little with her quickly failing strength. "No... No, no, no... Keith, stop." She shook him harder. "Stop messing with me." She didn't believe he could possibly be dead as she shook him even harder by the shoulders. "Keith, cut it out!"

But he didn't move.

Tear after tear poured over her cheeks involuntarily. "No..." She pulled his still body close to her chest as she sobbed into his red hair, refusing to let him leave her. "You can't die, Keith... You can't leave me alone..." She hugged him tighter and tighter, continuing to cry despite her promise to herself earlier. "Keith, come back to me... _Please_..." It ate further at her, yet another to die in her arms.

Meanwhile, high, high above the dark, murky clouds in the sky...

"What's going on down there, Wen'?" Sven shouted over to his Ranger Partner as he directed his Staraptor to continue circling the top of the tower, clutching the blue Tears of Princes in his grasp firmly.

Wendy felt nauseated as her stomach started to bubble with a sinking unease, protectively clutching her red gem closer to her stomach. "I don't know..."

Suddenly, the two gems in the Top Ranger's arms began to shine from the very middle. A small, luminous glow grew larger and larger as it originated from the center until it made the entire gem glow in its sharp color. Soon enough, the two gems began radiating a bright, colorful light, which then detached itself from the gems and flew down towards the rooftop with incredible speed, cutting through the murky clouds as if they were _paper_.

Rena clutched Keith's still body so tightly that she didn't even notice the yellow gem within her satchel begin to glow. Until she started to feel strangely warm all over her body, she hardly took notice of a yellow, pink, and blue light begin to circle around her. Specks of light broke away and began to stick to her until she was completely surrounded by the warmth of the gems.

Rena looked at her glowing self puzzlingly as she carefully set Keith's head down onto her lap. "What...?" She held her arms out in front of her quizzically as a fat tear rolled down her cheek.

Time seemed to slow as that single tear fell from her pale face and plummeted down to the ground. Her tear of pure sadness and heartache splashed onto Keith's cheek, and it emitted a pink, yellow, and blue light before dissolving into his skin.

The lights of the three gems circled around Keith and Rena faster and faster, encircling them in a tornado of nothing but luminosity and a glowing essence of hope. Rena couldn't see a thing around her except for the three colored lights swirling around her at incredible speed. The blood she had been soaked in quickly evaporated, and any wound on her body was immediately sealed up from the power of the three gems.

Suddenly, the lights stopped whipping around them and slammed into Rena's chest, dissolving into her skin as it sent her stumbling backwards.

The thief coughed ferociously now that she was on her feet, able to see the darkness of the rooftop around her once more. The lights went inside of her, and her icy heart began to melt. She slowly felt all of her pain in her body dissipate as her mind became clear, and all she could feel now was her guilt.

The light swirled inside of her mind, and she had an intense flashback of the last two years. Receiving the job, meeting the three idiots, falling for Keith...

Betraying everyone, trying to _save_ everyone...

Sacrificing herself to save Keith's life.

Taking a bullet for them.

Being rejected by them.

Being rejected by _him_.

It was all coming to the front of her mind so fast in flickering flashes that it was giving her a headache. She clutched the sides of her head tightly and she shut her eyes, trying to get the guilt swimming around her heart to leave her alone.

All she could focus on now was the guilt of what she had done.

This...this was _all_ her fault.

"Oi, why are you crying?" The voice sighed, "...I seriously don't have the time to be dealing with your never-ending bullshit right now."

Every muscle in her body froze as Rena immediately pulled her hands from her eyes, staring ahead of her at the voice that spoke to her.

Keith stood before her alive and perfectly fine, confused as to why she was giving him such a weird look right now. "Hey, wha...are you crying? Rena, what's...OOF!" Keith fell backwards right onto his back as the thief leapt into his arms, nearly choking him to death from how tight she was hugging him.

Buizel joined in on the dog pile crying ferverously, thrilled beyond words that Keith was alright.

"H-how!?" Rena pulled back and glared into his eyes accusingly. "How are you still alive!?"

Keith just looked at her oddly. "What are you talking about? I'm fine." He rolled his eyes at her like she was the weirdest person ever. "I mean, yeah, I admit the Darkrai got me with that sneaky shadow claw of his, but I'm fine." He sat up and pointed to his unscathed body. "See?"

Rena slowly shook her head back and forth. "No, Keith... You _died_. I watched you die in my arms..." An involuntary tear slipped through her Galaxy-colored eyes, dripping down her puffy cheeks.

Keith's eyes slowly snapped open from the shock. "I..._did?" _He paused for a moment to ponder this, staring at Rena's terrified face, which confirmed that this was true. "Then...how am I perfectly fine?" He looked himself over once more to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Rena's gaze slowly traced from the red-head up to the dark night sky. "I don't know..."

Darkrai was completely _enraged_ now. The Tears of Princes... He knew _exactly_ what those lights were; there was no mistaking it. The bane of his existence, and his undoing...

The Shadow Crystal continued to poison the Darkrai's controlled mind with thoughts of insanity and bloodshed, making his unnaturally red eyes grow redder and more bloodshot.

Kill them. Both of them. _All_ of them.

They all had to die. They had to! Die! DIE! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIE...!

"Keith, look out!" Rena widened her eyes at the raging Darkrai coming right at them, quickly shoving both Keith and Buizel out of the way as the Pokemon grabbed a hold of her throat and effortlessly lifted her into the air. "AUGH!"

But no matter the pain this monster inflicted, it was _nothing_ compared to the thought of losing Keith one more time.

Keith quickly scrambled to his feet and whirled his capture line impossibly fast around the dark legendary, not about to let him kill Rena. There was no way in _hell_ he was letting her out of his sight ever again. Especially in death.

Buizel did his best to distract the Darkrai from choking Rena any harder, buying his partner some time.

Now that Keith had the help of the three gems infused within his bloodstream, even though he didn't know it was there, his capture was making...progress.

Darkrai's vision consisted only of pure and utter blackness. However, off in the distance, he saw a tiny little white dot. Seconds and seconds passed, and that dot only grew bigger, _and_ brighter. The psychotic insanity swimming around his mind was starting to dull down as he caught sight of this bright, white light that was beginning to blind him, and he began to tune back into his surroundings.

...what?

Darkrai immediately freaked out when he saw he was strangling some poor girl to death, and he quickly let go of her. The girl's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she lost consciousness, and Darkrai immediately grabbed a hold of her and carefully layed her down on the floor.

"RENA!"

There was that voice again. That was the voice that snapped him out of the darkness, but who...?

Darkrai wanted to flee when a strange red-haired boy bolted over to him and the young girl, but he remained by her side as the boy crashed down to the floor beside her.

He watched as the boy scooped her up into his arms and looked at her pale face lovingly, and he couldn't help but feel his heart lurch at the thought of the girl's life slipping away.

Did he..._kill_ her?

Darkrai couldn't explain what he was feeling, but it felt as if he had connected with this boy somehow. They were on the same wavelength, and everything this boy felt, _he_ felt.

Regret, remorse, hope, joy, relief, denial, and love... This boy was flooded with a strange array of emotions, and Darkrai felt overwhelmed by it all. But one emotion did stand out to him above them all.

Love.

When Darkrai looked at the girl's face, he felt the intense, burning passion this boy felt towards her. And because of that, he just _had_ to help her...

Keith instinctively jerked Rena away from the Darkrai when he outstretched his black hand towards her, but he stopped when he noticed the red color in the Darkrai's eyes flush away, uncovering his natural blue eye-color of a life yearning to just simply _live_.

Keith, Buizel, and Darkrai had a stare down as they looked into each other's eyes, trying to figure out everyone's intentions. It didn't take Keith long to realize that he had saved Darkrai as soon as he had completed that capture, and all Darkrai wanted to do was help Rena.

So...he let him.

Darkrai caressed Rena's face lightly, and as soon as he came into contact with her skin, he absorbed an inky-black darkness that came from her. Darkrai took on all of the pain and sadness that was coursing through her veins, releasing Rena from the darkness he had bestowed on her.

The brunette's eyes suddenly flickered open, and the nightmare she had been dreaming of suddenly had stopped. She glanced nervously between Keith, Buizel, and Darkrai before putting two and two together. But for the longest time, the silence stretched between them like the weak smirk across the thief's elegant face.

"Well, that was fun. We should do this again sometime." Rena immediately felt like her old self as she stood up too soon and cracked a joke. Her body gently swayed, fighting gravity itself.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Gah... Don't even joke about that."

Rena walked past him and stopped right in front of Darkrai, staring into the blue eyes that reflected the image of hers perfectly. "Please, Darkrai... My brother?"

He seemed to understand what it was that she was asking, and he outstretched his hand over the floor next to Rena. Immediately the image of the tile flooring began to distort as a new shape emerged from the darkness, and the unconscious body of Ice materialized before her. However, Wheeler and Blake Hall were nowhere to be seen.

Rena's lips curled up into a smile as she looked over at Darkrai. "Thank you."

Darkrai nodded to her respectively as his eyes screamed his sincere apology to her for all of the damage he had done.

"Hey." Rena effortlessly threw the satchel she had been carrying that contained the yellow gem over to Keith, smiling at him peacefully. "Care to do the honors?"

Keith caught it without hesitation, and he held the crescent gem in his hands firmly. "Of course. After all, I _am_ the hero in this story."

Rena scoffed and rolled her eyes as she crouched down next to Ice, looking over him worriedly. "Yeah, whatever." She brushed the blue bangs away from his eyes, staring down at his peaceful, sleeping face. "Hey, I... I'm sorry."

As Rena attended to her brother, Keith and Buizel matched their pace as they ran past Darkrai and over to the Shadow Crystal. Darkrai looked up above and watched as the storm clouds began to separate, giving the two flying Rangers the opportunity to swoop in and get close to the Shadow Crystal.

Darkrai had been guarding this Shadow Crystal his whole life, and when Dim Sun managed to take it from him and also use him at the same time, he felt like a failure. But now, as he looked onwards at the three Rangers reuniting the three gems and the Shadow Crystal, he couldn't help but smile from how relieved he felt.

The three gems radiated the brightest, blinding light anything in this universe could possibly fathom as they were all brought together once more. The souls of the three princes from long ago, and their father, the king of Almia, were joined together once more in harmony. The three gems infused their light within the Shadow Crystal, purifying the source of darkness so intensely that the purple, murky color of the crystal was completely drained from it, rendering it completely transparent.

Every ounce of the storm completely dissipated as the Incredible Machine powered down with a hollow, mechanical moan, and the starry night sky became visible once more as the dome of darkness shattered above them. The silver platter moon held high against the night as a proclamation of victory over the darkness.

The gems floated out of the Ranger's hands and began to orbit the Shadow Crystal endlessly, restoring the harmony to Almia.

Sven and Wendy touched down and immediately rushed to Ice and Rena's side, addressing the situation just as a Ranger would. Wendy helped the groggy Ice up to his feet and got him onto her Staraptor, immediately rushing him to the Ranger Union for medical treatment. Sven took the lead and followed after Wendy, leaving Rena, Keith, Buizel, and Darkrai remaining on the rooftop.

As Keith and Buizel boarded his Staraptor, Rena looked over at Darkrai one last time with a sad smile. "I can't thank you enough, really."

The Darkrai seemed to understand her caring words and flashed a quick grin back at her before looking at the former Shadow Crystal, feeling as if his work was now done. The three gems transformed it into what would now be known as the _Luminous_ Crystal, and now... He was no longer needed.

"Let's go, Rena." Keith held his hand out to the thief who was watching the Darkrai fly off into the night sky.

"Oh, right." She grabbed a hold of his hand and climbed up onto the Staraptor, hugging Keith's back tightly once more as they took off into the air.

They briskly descended onto the ground, leaving the rooftop of Altru Inc. once and for all. They hardly imagined themselves ever going back after the day they had.

A roar of applause and cheer reached Rena's ears as they hit the ground, and she looked around in shock when she spotted every member of the Ranger Union's staff out here in Altru Park.

Chairperson Erma, Hastings, Rhythimi, Murph, Barlow, Crawford, Luana, Vatona, Nage... And even Isaac! You name it. Everyone was out here in what looked like a make-shift Ranger Base. The Operators had on headsets and laptops in their laps, and everyone was busy rushing about underneath the little tent they had set up.

"Congratulations!" Hastings's loud clapping separated itself from the rest of them. "I knew you two could do it!"

"We've been out here this whole time cheering you on." Chairperson Erma smiled at Rena before looking around at her beloved, hardworking employees.

"Good to see you, smartie!" Rena laughed as she slapped Isaac on the back, causing the blonde to blush.

"He talked us through the whole thing, but we eventually got him out of there." Barlow came up and swung an arm around Isaac's shoulder, grinning at the boy genius.

"Really, I didn't do much..." Isaac awkwardly laughed, unsure how to respond to being put on the spot like this.

"You guys are okay!" Rhythimi clumsily jumped up from where she was sitting and ran over to them. "I have been so worried!"

"Sorry, Rhythimi..." Rena sheepishly darted her eyes down to the floor. "Hey, Mightyena got pretty banged up back there... Can you heal him for me?" She hesitantly handed her his Pokeball, hoping the blonde would do her this one favor.

"Of course." Rhythimi smiled brightly as she accepted the Pokeball from Rena.

Crawford and Luana swung their arms around Keith, grinning at him all-knowingly. "Good to see you, red!" Crawford chuckled, enjoying this too much.

Keith glared a thousand daggers at him. "...you've been talking to Sven too much."

Crawford and Luana's intense laughter was quickly drowned out by the loud cacophony of police sirens echoing throughout the park as oncoming squad cars were rushing this way.

Rena stopped laughing and smiling with her friends when the noise reached her ears, and she slowly backed up when she saw the cars coming before immediately breaking into a run. The Ranger Union staff quickly scattered as the cars rushed through the group and chased after Rena, targeting her immediately.

Rena barely had any chance to go anywhere before the cars all circled around her, and they parked as the doors all swung open and several cops came rushing out. She held up her fists and started fending off any that came close, but then two more joined the brawl.

And then four more.

Then _six_ more.

Rena kicked and screamed as they grabbed a hold of her, refusing to stop fighting.

"Rena Deveraux, you are under arrest!" One of the cops shouted at her, trying to get her to stop fighting. "Stop resisting us! It's in your best interest to _stop!"_

Rena didn't listen and kept punching and kicking. She had just gotten everyone back. Whether they all forgave her or not, why must she have to go so soon?

One of the other cops nodded his head and gave the order, watching as another came up and tazed Rena with several thousand volts of electricity. All of her friends and comrades screamed as they on-looked at this abuse in absolute _horror_, unable to do anything.

Chairperson Erma's grim face watched as Rena's unconscious body was shoved into one of the cars that quickly began to drive away.

"Rena, no!" Rhythimi stared to run forwards in attempt to stop them, but Erma gripped her shoulder and pulled her back.

"My dear, stop..." She sighed heavily, looking into the blonde's eyes. "There is nothing we can do for her now. We knew this would happen from the beginning."

"But she saved us all! This isn't right!" Keith roared as the team of Wendy, Sven, Luana and Crawford hand to restrain the flame-haired man from pursuing the car that began to now dissolve into the horizon.

Chairperson Erma still held a somber air as she muttered grimly. "What has taken place on this night can not repent for all the sins and crimes she has committed for the past ten years."

Keith's ruby eyes trembled at the woman's heartbreaking words. "She had reasons! She was just confused! She _has_ to come back!"

He still had so much to tell her. He wanted so many more days beside her. He wanted the quiet passing moments of holding her in his arms and never having to let go. He wanted to get lost in her ocean-colored eyes. He _begged_ to laugh with her just one more time. He never got to say the most important words of all to her...

That he forgave her.

It tore him into shreds as she was nothing but an echoing memory of the heart.

"My boy, we have all been confused more than once in our lives." Chairperson Erma on-looked the dead silent park with a hardened gaze.

"Chairperson..." Keith rose his voice to defend Rena once more, but Erma silenced him.

"...But _nothing_ can save her now." She looked over at Keith depressingly, disappointed in herself for being so useless to Rena in this situation. "She had brought this upon herself, and _that_ is the final enemy she must face."

* * *

**...umm.**

**So. I uh... *awkwardly clears throat* Yeah. So, guys XD... Ice is Rena's older brother. If you go back to all of their "shippy" moments, you'll realize they were actually brother/sister moments XD...**

**...that was the biggest plot twist of all of TSTHOAT that I have literally been DYING to reveal since the very beginning.**

**TSTHOAT was never _actually_ a love triangle; I only made it seem like that to throw you guys off the trail and make you not suspect this plot twist from the beginning, which I know some of you did XD**

**Reading all of your conspiracy theories in the reviews has been the most fun I've had in a long time XD... I think we had several think Ice was her father, which was disturbing, since that would make Ice fifteen years old when Rena was born, but XD...**

**...I'm just going to quickly run away now before everyone grabs pitchforks and goes to stab me for Ice being her brother, the sad scenes of everyone almost dying, Rena and her father's conversation, and this _dreadful_ cliffhanger!**

***escapes to faraway castle surrounded by an alligator-infested moat for protection***

**PS: chapter 37 was 16,174 words, and this one was 13,984 in case you were wondering. I worked my tiny little white girl ASS off XD**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**


	39. Chapter 39: A Price Paid

**(Third Person POV)**

Post-Operation Brighton: one week later.

"...and here I almost thought you'd be _thrilled_ that you finally caught me after all these years." She changed the subject for the fourth time now, trying to avoid answering the same question that the man pressed like a broken record. Her eyes swam about, half of her mind wandering to how everyone was coping with this.

Looker was growing even more impatient with each passing second that she kept stalling. "Miss Deveraux, do you deny your crimes?"

The brunette lazily looked up from her lap at the very same Interpol Officer that had been gunning for her for nine years. Just like before, she was sitting there bored in the shadow-kissed interrogation room, once again handcuffed to the table. She couldn't help but feel that she was just doing this once before a little over a week ago. And she laughed a bit to herself, earning a crooked stare.

Looker impatiently leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. "Miss Deveraux, do you understand what you're being accused of?" He looked into her hollow eyes one more time with only a shred of sympathy regarding her age. "Countless thefts and robberies, break-ins, conspiring with corrupt government officials, firing an unregistered weapon in a building filled with civilians, illegally smuggling weapons across region borders and then dealing them... The list just goes on and on, Miss Deveraux."

Rena just leaned back in her chair tiredly, crossing her arms with an exasperated sigh. "Oh, is that all?"

She had actually done so much more, and she was almost a little smug they didn't discover all of her past crimes.

This retort only set off the international officer once again, causing a thin vein to pulse from his forehead. "Miss Deveraux." Looker's voice was more stiff and aggravated as he spoke her name through clenched teeth. "Do you misunderstand how serious your situation is?"

"No, not at all." Rena stopped leaning her chair back, letting the metal chair make a loud thud as it hit the ground. She knew couldn't dodge his question for much longer. So she casually watched everything she and her father built slip away with only one regret, "I don't deny any of it. I did everything that you accuse me of."

The graying officer seemed surprised by her sudden compliance, certainly not expecting this from her.

He quietly slipped a piece of parchment across the table towards Rena with his fingertips, then handed her a blue pen. "Then will you sign this confession, admitting your crimes?"

"Only if you abide by my requests." Rena raised an eyebrow at him, holding all of the good cards in her hands.

He was a little aggravated at that, and his voice tightened down in the pit of his throat as he strained to speak a few words through his gritted teeth. "And what would those requests be, exactly?"

"I have two." Rena rested her elbows on the table, holding her tightly handcuffed wrists as high up as the table would let her. "One, un-handcuff me so I can actually sign the stupid thing." They were well aware of her skilled escapes and took nothing too far to hold her.

Looker's gaze darted back and forth between her bound wrists and her expectant face. "Err..." He hesitated, causing Rena to just roll her eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't punch you in the throat and try to escape." She paused and watched his face not change at all from the implication, restating her firm position once more. "I promise. If I do, you can just taser me again." Rena shuddered at the painful memory of being electrocuted the first time. Yowch did that hurt...

Looker mulled this over for a moment, not sure what to do. But, when he saw the look of defeat in her washed out eyes... He knew that she had given up. The infamous Raux all along was just teenage girl, one who never stopped running. At least until now. He wondered why she had given up. Despite his position, he admired the determination the girl had to keep running for so long.

"Alright, that I can do." He nodded his head steadily, unfastening the handcuff keys from his belt. He flinched as soon as the handcuffs fell from the girl's wrists, preparing to be punched in the throat.

But... She didn't do it.

Rena picked up the pen in a delicate swoop and got ready to sign her name at the bottom of the document.

She didn't try to run.

And honestly, he was a little disappointed that she didn't even _try_.

After _years_ of hunting this girl down, _years_ of her putting up one hell of a fight to keep her identity a mystery, _years_ of outrunning the law... She didn't run.

The great and illusive Raux had finally given up.

Despite the fact that she was a thief and a criminal... It was a little sad to see the fire burn out in someone so young.

"Now, for my second request." Rena's droned words snapped Looker out of his thoughts, bringing him back down to earth. "I... Would like to write a letter to someone, and you must have it delivered."

Looker just blinked at her once, twice. Was she being serious?

"Th-that's it? You want to write a letter to someone...?" He shot her a quizzical look, completely confused by this request of all things.

Whatever shred of light that remained in Rena had dissolved into a permanent darkness right then and there, and she stared down at the paper before her. "I have many regrets that I can't possibly live with for the rest of my life, but this... This one tops them all."

Regrets? _Her? _Now that... That wasn't something he expected to hear.

He always thought criminals, street scum like _her_, were ruthless. They didn't care about what they were doing or who they were hurting, so why did she have regrets?

The answer was that she was human of all those things, and even a child could understand that.

"Uh...alright?" He shook his head, snapping out of it. "Yes, I will see to it that it's delivered." The officer took a minute to fish out another sheet from his coat, handing it over to her for writing the final letter. Looker watched as she graciously took it from him.

Rena signed her signature at the bottom of the confession paper as promised, then handed it to Looker. "This'll only take me five minutes, I promise." The broken thief stared down at her blank letter, trying to figure out how to put the shambles of her feelings into words.

The writing paper was a small scrap sheet, so she couldn't write much. A short and sweet apology for something like this just wouldn't do, but she had no choice. It was better than nothing.

Rena didn't even know where to begin with her letter. How do you apologize sincerely to someone you love for deceiving them?

Just then, a thought popped into her mind. Rena knew _exactly_ what she was going to write, and she got straight to it. Five minutes later, she folded the paper into thirds and handed it to Looker.

"Is that all?" He asked her, wondering if she had one last request.

This was completely against protocol, but he felt sorry for her. The look of utter defeat in her eyes was so powerful that it made a _cop_ feel bad for a _criminal_.

"No, you've already treated me better than you should have." Rena shook her head, slumping back in her chair.

Looker stared at her for a good minute, feeling even more pity for the woman. He shouldn't feel this way, but...he did.

"Well, about your prison arrangements," He changed the subject, getting the last thing he had to do in here out of the way. "I've arranged for you to be sent to a more upscale, secluded prison that's more safe for those your age..."

"No."

...

No words could describe the extent of this man's shock at the girl's interruption.

"N-no...?" He stared at her in disbelief. "Wh-what do you mean _no?"_

"You've done me one kindness already." Rena sat up in her chair, staring right into the eyes of the man. "I see no need for you to do me another. Arrange for me to be sent to Almia's average prison, no matter how horrible it may be." Rena paused to swallow the lump in her throat. "Honestly, I...I deserve it. For what I did, I really do..."

"You _can't_ be serious." He stared at her, not able to even begin to comprehend this.

"Consider it my final request." Rena flashed him a half-smile; one with not a single _thing_ superficial about it.

He paused, hesitating for a moment. He didn't want to do this, but it _was_ her wish...

Looker shook his head to protest. "No, I simply cannot agree to this. You do realize that the possibility of someone like you being killed in lock up is..."

"Potentially high?" Rena finished his sentence for him, seemingly unafraid of death. "Yes, I'm aware. I was counting on that."

His shoulders slumped, and his face fell. "B-but... You'd most likely be killed within six months, given the number of fights and prison riots..._and_ your status..." He shook his head, staring into her eyes to make sure she was being truly sincere. "You're only _nineteen_ years old..."

"And yet, I've done more damage in ten years than most criminals have in their _lifetimes_..." Rena frowned, feeling truly ashamed of herself.

That pain of being a criminal ate away at her soul every second she kept on living now. She had so many regrets after hurting so many people in her life, and she honestly felt like she didn't deserve to live another moment. She hated herself for what she had done, all the crimes she committed...

She had grown a conscience over the past two years, and she _hated_ herself for it...

"Listen closely to what I'm about to say." She leaned forward, covering up the tape recorder that was resting on the table with her hand. "I can't be allowed to exist on this planet anymore. I'm far too dangerous. If I were to fall into the wrong hands, again..." Rena trailed off, remembering the chaos that had unfolded in the past two years. "...who _knows_ what would happen." She stopped and looked directly into Looker's eyes with nothing but a grave haze. "You do understand that I am solely responsible for Team Dim Sun's rise to power and getting this close to world domination? Whether it was intentional or not, it's still my fault."

He didn't even know how to respond to that.

Rena uncovered the tape recorder. There wasn't anything else she had to say that she didn't need recorded.

Looker slowly nodded his head, and two more officers stepped into the room. Rena was handcuffed once again, and she was brought over to the door. As she was being lead out of it, she turned her head to look at Looker to express her last chance at fixing at least one thing.

"Please, I beg you." The two officers gripped her arms and began pulling Rena out of the interrogation room as she poured every last drop of her feelings into her final plea. "See to it that letter is delivered." A tear slipped from Rena's eye, and the door was shut right behind her.

**SLAM!**

The man called Looker who had interrogated her stood left behind in the interrogation room, holding the frail letter written in neat cursive writing on a small scrap of paper. He turned over the letter, reading aloud who it was addressed to.

"Keith Dazzle?" he spoke aloud in confusion as he turned his head to the door where Rena was just a moment ago. "The _Top_ Ranger...?"

* * *

"Err...excuse me?"

Keith rose his head from his desk at the Ranger Union, staring up at the man before him. He immediately took notice that this man was an Interpol Officer based off of the badge he wore clipped to his brown trench coat. "Yes? Can I help you?" His voice was on malice edge, but left a hollow echo.

"Well, not exactly..." The officer trailed off. "You're Top Ranger eleven, Keith Dazzle, correct?" The man asked Keith, making the red-head even more confused.

The twenty-year-old red-haired Ranger rose an eyebrow in curiosity. "...yes. That's me. Can I ask what this is about?"

The officer pulled a small envelope from his jacket pocket, then set it on Keith's desk. "I'm just here to deliver this to you." As soon as he finished his sentence, he turned to leave.

"What...?" Keith looked up from his desk, but it was too late. The officer was gone.

He stared back down at the envelope that rested on his desk neatly, and he picked it up. Turning it over, he saw his name written on the back neatly in handwriting all-too familiar to him.

"Rena...?" he nearly doubled over in surprise, and immediately ripped open the envelope with a loud tear that awoke the Buizel nearby. He pulled out the small letter enclosed inside, and he unfolded it hastily. Seeing more of the handwriting only reassured him that it was written by Rena, and the words spoke to him in her voice as he read it inside his head.

_Keith._

_As I write this letter to you, all I have to say is..._

_I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry that I lied to all three of you. Living a life of lies has taught me that it comes with a price, and now I'm paying it._

_My name __is__ Rena Deveraux; that wasn't a lie. But I never wanted to be a Ranger... That's not why I was at the Ranger School._

_I am so, so sorry that I lied to you, but the truth is... I'm a thief. And you...you were my assignment, and I was to think of you as nothing more than that. It wasn't personal, I promise you. It was just business._

_I thought I could outrun the law my whole life and never get caught. Never did I once think that the law applied to me, or that my actions would catch up to me one day. It never crossed my mind...not even once. I was so confident, which made my downfall inevitable._

_I left my back turned for one second and I lost it all._

_No words can describe the feeling I get when I look at your face... That look of pain, and sadness... Your eyes are filled with nothing but hate and disdain when they meet my gaze. Honestly, I'm surprised that you haven't killed me for what I've done to you._

_I'm afraid this is the end, and I will never see you again. You can hate me for the rest of your life. I understand... What I did to you is unforgivable, and I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve to see your smile ever again._

_My biggest regret is that I will never get to properly say good-bye to you, so, I must do it in this letter._

_Good-bye, my Prince Charming. I will never forget you._

_Take care of Rhythimi and Isaac for me, and please...apologize to them on my behalf, since I can't do it myself._

_Oh, and one more thing, Keith._

_Assuming that you didn't just tear this letter up upon receiving it, I just wanted to say... I've told you a lot of lies since the moment we first met..._

_...but my feelings for you were never one of them._

_Sincerely, your one and only blue-eyed girl._

Keith set the letter back down on his desk slowly and carefully like it would shatter, just staring at the wall across from him. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but he did know one thing for sure.

...

Keith abruptly shot up from his desk and stormed out his office door.

He had something he wanted to say to Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings.

* * *

**I know I know I know, you guys hate me for how this book is ending blah blah blah I'm taking forever to update blah blah blah.**

**Hey, I'm doing the best I can here XD**

**Only one final chapter left, and the book is over ;-;...**

**Will it end in tragedy, or will it be a happy ending? After all that they have gone through, will metal bars _really_ be the end of Keith and Rena's love?**

**Read, review, and enjoy, my lovelies!**


	40. Chapter 40: Begin Again

**(Third Person POV)**

"...got any threes?"

"Nope. Draw."

"Shit..."

Rena's lips involuntarily curled up into a tiny smirk as she held her cards in her hand, winning at "Go Fish" against her cell mate.

Kim Daley, Rena's former classmate and a total _bitch_, bitterly pulled a card from the deck on their cardboard box table, glancing at the metal bars that confined them to this tiny, below-average room. "I swear you're cheating or something, Ren'."

"What?" Rena somehow managed a laugh at just how ridiculous that was. "It's Go Fish! How do you even cheat at this game!?"

Kim threw her cards up into the air out of frustration. "How the hell should _I_ know! You just are! ...somehow." She glanced down at the cracked concrete floor, furrowing her ginger-colored eyebrows together as she rolled her neck to the side.

The two girls dressed in grocery-bag-esce orange jumpsuits with thick, greasy coated hair pulled up into ponytails were enjoying their typical day of playing cards with each other in their prison cell. They did this every day; yesterday, Tuesday, was black jack day. It's not like either of them had much _else_ to do, anyways... Rena had luckily found herself jammed in a cell along with another woman her age by the familiar name of Kim Daley.

Kim Daley, the single most _horrible_ person on earth who gave Rena such a hard time when they first met, had been in prison for nearly two and a half years now for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Stylers from the Ranger School and setting Rena up for it. She still had one and a half years to go, unlike Rena, who was stuck here for _life_. The brunette had only been here for two weeks now, but after being cell mates for _that_ long, Kim couldn't help but throw old grudges aside and get along with her. After all, she wasn't _completely_ inhuman.

Prison and solitary confinement changes a person. That was a lesson Rena learned her first day when she met Kim again. She remembered how she was a little more than just nervous at first about getting to stay in the same cell as her, concerned the ginger might shank her in her sleep, but the two actually sort of became friends and watched each other's backs while they were locked up. Even if Rena had Kim for company for only less than two years, she was still grateful.

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

The loud pounding on their cell door echoed throughout the hollow prison and sent chills up through the two convicts. Rena casually swung her head around with a lazy roll and stared at the moderately armed prison guard addressing them with a bored expression.

The female guard stared into Rena's cell with her typical, unamused glower as her inky hair brushed over her eyes. "Hey, Deveraux. You've got visitors."

Rena's eyebrow shot up into her hairline at the sound of those odd words. "...What? _Who?"_

The guard shrugged carelessly, not really giving a damn about who or what was in the prison. "Don't know, don't care. Let's_ go_."

Kim watched her cell mate slowly get up, crack each joint in her elastic body, and walk through the door the guard unlocked. The former adversary of Rena called out to the woman of dark brown hair really quick. "Hey, Ren'... Again, I'm really sorry for what I did to you."

Rena smiled at her as she began to walk away. "We've been over this, it's okay." She smirked devilishly at the ginger for what _neither_ of them knew would be the last time. "I know being a bitch is just something that you just can't help."

Kim couldn't really argue that Rena was wrong about that, and she held up two fingers to her. "Retweet."

Rena chuckled under her breath as she was lead down a long, narrow, grey hallways that was stained with dirt, possibly blood, and grime from who knows what. Minimal light was inside the prison to guide the way as if lighting one's way in a horror film, so Rena relied on the guard to guide her to the visitation room.

As they stopped, Rena's eyes slowly scanned the door up and down. Despite the rest of the world around her, this one object was clean. Polished. Bright.

A false hope to many.

The renowned grifter let her mind wander as she sighed with the bitterest hint of remorse.

Honestly, who would come to visit _her? _And _now_ of all times...

The guard opened up a steel-plated door and practically _shoved_ Rena through it, locking the door behind her with a swift clinking of the metal keys.

The brunette was about to turn and look at who was in here when she was suddenly embraced tightly around the neck, and a blob of puffy blonde hair was suddenly smothering her face like the wool of a Flaaffy.

"Rena!" Rhythimi squeezed her tightly and held onto the grifter for dear life, squinting her eyes tightly from just how much she missed her.

"Guys...?" Rena pried Rhythimi off of her and looked across the room, blinking at the three others quizzically.

Rhythimi wasn't the only one who came to visit; Isaac, Chairperson Erma, and Professor Hastings were there too. And not just them: Looker was leaning up against the wall right next to them, his ten o'clock after-shadow scruff coating his chin as he couldn't help but hide a low smile.

"What are you doing here?" She blinked at them owlishly, then looked over at Rhythimi for the possible answers.

Rhythimi grinned excitedly at Rena. "We're busting you out, you dummy!"

"Well don't say that in front of the _cops_, you dope." Rena thwacked the blonde in the back of the head, just like old times. "...can they really do that?" She craned her neck to glance over at Looker, having tons of questions without answers racing through her mind.

Looker pushed himself off the concrete wall and joined the conversation, his thick leather trench coat shivering with the change of movement. "Well, that's why we're all here today: to negotiate."

Chairperson Erma hobbled across the room and stopped in front of Rena, leveling her honest gaze with the nineteen-year-old. "Rena, I have something to ask you."

The brunette's posture instinctively straightened as she respected Erma's presence. "Yes...?"

Erma's lips slowly curled up into a tiny smile. "How would you like to become Keith's partner: Top Ranger twelve?"

Rena was so shocked by this question that she couldn't even possibly _fathom_ what her response would be. She just held up her index finger as her mouth opened and closed like a Magikarp out of water, completely stunned.

"...WHAT!?" Rena involuntarily screamed her surprise, then quickly lowered her voice. "You're kidding, right? Did you forget that I'm a criminal? A criminal in _prison!"_

"Well...that may be something we're willing to overlook." Looker butted in as he set down a stack of papers on the steel table he was sitting on.

"What is that?" Rena eyed the stack of papers as she unconsciously began to walk towards them, flipping through the papers with her fingers.

"A contract." Looker handed her a pen cautiously; it was one of the most lethal weapons the world had known. "Since the moment you were locked up, your friends here have been working with me to find a way to get you out of prison."

Rena tore her eyes from the large stack of papers and scanned the crowd of smiling faces that were looking at her. "Why...?"

Isaac patted Rena on the arm, trying to show his support with his awkward and clumsy smile. "The Rena back then is the one who should be doing time, not the Rena we have come to know _now_."

A tiny tear slipped from her eye at his touching words, and she glanced down at the contract. "I... I would be honored to be a Ranger, but..." She sadly looked up at Chairperson Erma. "I'm not qualified to be a Ranger, let alone a _Top_ Ranger."

Chairperson Erma seemed to disagree with that. "You graduated from Ranger School, didn't you?"

"Y-yes, but," they all stared at her kindly and it all fell down on her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It all just didn't seem real. "Is this...really happening?" The tears couldn't stop coming at this point, and she was feeling the most hopeful she had in a whole month.

But...

Where was Keith?

...

Rena's eyes flickered to the floor in sadness and disappointment. He must have torn up the letter she had sent him after all, and that's why he wasn't here to get her...

Because he didn't care. And she, after everything she had done to him, didn't even have the right to expect his face in the crowd of people before her.

"Hey." Rhythimi walked over to Rena and patted her shoulder. "You're getting out! Aren't you happy?"

"I..." She stared at Rhythimi before her confident hope faltered. Like watching a vase fall, knowing that nothing can be done to stop the inevitable crash. "Rhythimi, I don't think..."

Rhythimi reached forwards to set her hands on Rena's shoulders with a slow and forgiving blossom of a smile. "My _friends_ call me Rhyth."

Rena slowly curled her lips up into a smile at Rhythimi's forgiveness before retracing her gaze back to Looker. "Are you _seriously_ willing to forgive _all_ of my crimes _and_ give me a job working for the region?"

"As long as you agree to the DA's terms." Looker placed his fingertips on the stack of papers. "...then you're free to go."

"Which are...?" Rena wondered her thought out loud, throwing her questionable gaze over in Looker's direction.

"Return everything you have ever stolen," Looker began counting off the terms of agreement on his fingers, "turn over your client list, and agree to be supervised at all times by an authority figure to keep an eye on you."

"...that's _it?" _Rena blinked over and over again in shock, truly amazed by this.

"That's _it_." Looker handed her a pen, looking at her with a half smile as he waited to see if she would take it.

Rena's questionable frown slowly stretched up into a grin as she took the pen from him. "Consider it done."

* * *

Isaac and Rhythimi had forgiven everything that Rena had done to them, and on top of that, those two finally got together. Hastings and Erma gave Rena her one chance at redemption and her dream job. Sven was at Wendy's side back at the Ranger Union, worriedly taking care of all of her injuries, both pre and post Operation Brighton. Mr. Kaplan finally worked up the courage to propose to Ms. Claire, inspired by Rena's own courage. Lavana and Heath were quickly apprehended, caught trying to flee the scene almost instantly. Ice was taken to the Ranger Union for medical treatment straight after Operation Brighton was over, and Chairperson Erma offered him a job at the Ranger Union as well. Melody was taken back home and was immediately embraced by her worried sick parents. Luana got so caught up in the excitement of the Ranger's victory after they arrested all of the Dim Sun morons that she abruptly grabbed Crawford's collar and forcibly crashed his lips into hers, shocking their Base Leader Barlow, even though he had a hinting suspicion that those two liked each other. Blake Hall and Wheeler were never seen again, presumably lost within Darkrai's nightmare void of permanent darkness. Mightyena had been taken care of by Rhythimi while Rena was in prison back at the Ranger Union and was living with her and Eevee, and both the blonde and Rena were both surprised and happy to learn that their two male Pokemon had a thing for each other all this time. Kim would get out of prison soon, and she had already made plans to get an apartment in Pueltown and go work for her mother at the hospital she owned as a doctor after she got out. And Keith...

Rena wasn't quite sure what happened to him. All she did know was that if he hadn't forgiven her, she was going to have a very awkward conversation with her new Ranger partner as soon as she got back to the union.

After a couple hours of processing and deliberating, all charges against Rena were dropped. She had been transferred to Pueltown's Police Station to fill out a lot of paperwork, and a majority of the cops were not too happy about letting the notorious Raux go. She really had to work hard to prove that she was reformed, and honestly...

Her life was finally starting to turn around.

Rena Arisa Deveraux, the notorious thief Raux, was dead.

And now, a simple girl named Rena was reborn as Top Ranger twelve: proudly serving her civic duty as a Pokemon Ranger for the Ranger Union in Almia.

Chairperson Erma and the others had stayed behind inside the Police Station; they still had a few kinks to work out with Rena's release. In the meantime, the brunette, now changed into her Top Ranger uniform, pulled her messy hair out of her ponytail and let it tumble down past her shoulders as she walked out the front doors, wanting to get out of the stuffy police station and get some fresh air.

Rena strode through the front doors and stood on the concrete steps in her black boots, gripping Mightyena's Pokeball tightly. She was about to descend down the stairs further when she found herself standing face-to-face with someone waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

Rena's eyes slowly widened as her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Hey..."

"Hey." Keith stuffed his hands into his pockets awkwardly, looking up at the shorter girl standing up on the stairs.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here..." She blinked at him repeatedly, awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Did you...read my letter?"

"Every word." Keith breathlessly took a step closer to her, completely serious about every word he said.

"I, uh..." Rena instinctively looked down at the floor, not sure what to say. Her heart was like a guitar being played to metal. "I thought I would never see you again, so I felt that I needed to apologize to you all..." She stared down at her feet, biting down on her lip awkwardly. "You don't have to forgive me, but..."

"Forgive you?" Keith rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Blue Eyes, there's nothing to forgive." He shook his head as he walked right up to her, placing himself no more than an inch away from her tiny body.

Rena blinked back her shock as she stared into his ruby-red irises owlishly. "What did you...just call me?"

"Blue eyes." Keith answered firmly with a smirk on his face.

An involuntary tear rolled down Rena's cheek as all the shattered pieces felt as if they were returning back to their places. Her face started becoming scarlet. "I... Am I really forgiven?"

"Yeah." He casually relaxed his posture, looking into her beautiful eyes that put the stars to shame. "I was a jerk before, and I never realized that everything you did was to save us..." He looked off to the side. "To save me..." His guilt was plastered all over his face, and he didn't bother to hide it. There was nothing but the raw and true Keith being displayed at this moment.

Rena's plain look twisted up into a completely content expression of happiness as she reached out to touch Keith's cheek. "You were well worth _every_ sacrifice."

Keith wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him, unable to control himself anymore as his heart beat wildly for her. "How can you say such things to me after the way I've treated you? If anyone deserves to not be forgiven, it's me..." He rested his hand underneath her chin as he tore his eyes away from her.

Rena smiled sweetly up at the most handsome man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting, gazing at the strands of his spiky, fiery-red hair that were lit up by the sun setting behind him. "Because I _love_ you, you big dummy."

Keith pulled himself back to her and looked into Rena's eyes deeply, staring right through her soul. "I... I never stopped loving you, Rena..." He threw his gaze down to his feet. "I tried to get over you, and I tried to hate you, but I..." He held onto her tightly, afraid of losing her again. "But I just could never get over these..._crazy_ feelings I have for you."

Rena's lips twitched up into a wide grin as she held onto Keith tightly. "So, Keith. Do tell me... How do you intend to steal the heart of a thief?" She inquired mischievously, just teasing him now.

Keith laughed lightly at her question as a small smirk crept up onto his face, and he leaned in close to her. "I don't have to do anything, because I already _have_." His face suddenly fell as he replaced his cocky arrogance with an intense look of shock. "...somehow. Seriously, I have no idea how that happened." He held his hands up defensively, completely confused. "I mean, you're just way too good for me..."

"Just shut up already." Rena threw her head back and laughed as she placed her hands on the sides of his face lovingly.

The ex-thief pulled the red-headed Top Ranger closer until her lips crashed into his, creating the most passionate kiss the world had ever witnessed. Keith wrapped his arms tightly around her and refused to let her go, expressing his love for her in the only way he thought possible.

And finally...

The butterfly spread her wings and took a dive into being in love for the first time.

* * *

***is sobbing ferverously that this is finally over and is obnoxiously blowing nose into a tissue***

**After two long, hard years of planning, plotting, outlining, writing, and editing... TSTHOAT has finally come to a close. I'm thrilled but also a bit depressed about this XD I was literally editing this chapter while I was trick-or-treating on Halloween night with my friends dressed as Ciel Phantomhive. I'm not even kidding, and I'm so sorry my life got in the way of me updating the last three chapters on here :/ really sorry, guys...**

**To end this author's note, I would like to say a few things:**

**This is easily by far the best book I have ever written, and I am so, so proud of this. It truly is a work of art in my eyes. I worked so, so hard on this you can't possibly imagine. I know you guys read my books and think I come up with these amazing, thrilling story plots so easily, but that's not the case at all. I spent three months building the plot of this book and getting rid of all the holes in it; I struggled planning this book more than I have on any other book I have ever written/am going to write.**

**Sorry that Ice and Rena didn't work out, guys XD that'd be a really gross incestual relationship. However, I know that a majority of you are positively _thrilled_ with this ending, so I am very pleased that you all enjoyed this book so much.**

**I am so, so honored that you all took the time to read, review, draw fan art, and make fan trailers for this book. You have no idea how happy this makes me XD**

**I've been so stressed trying to finish this, and it is finally...done.**

**And now, to close this book with the answer to the most _commonly_ asked question about TSTHOAT...**

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**There's no way in _hell_ I can just end Keith and Rena's love story here.**

**Oh yes, that means exactly what you think it means. It will be called "Copycat" whenever I get around to writing it. For now, I need to take a loooong break from writing about Keith and Rena XD**

**So now, as my final adieu for TSTHOAT...**

**Read, review, and enjoy, my wonderful, _wonderful_ readers :)**


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